>
> Years ago we used to be in the blueberry business and still have some
> acres
> of wild blueberries growing. Honey bees will pollinate them if they have
> to. Bumblebees are much happier to do so. To get honey bees to
> successfully
> pollinate blueberries, the growers typically put in 2-3 hives per acre.
> With that many bees and not much else to forage on, they do a passable
> job.
>
> George-
>
The serious, for income, growers around here will hire colonies for their
berries, anywhere from 1-4/acre. Some years, not predictable, bumble bee
populations will be very low and any pollination available is welcome. Some
times the honeybees will only appear to visit the flowers in any numbers for
a short while any given day, probably a function of the berry nectar
excretion relative to what ever else is available.

Alden Marshall
Hudson, NH  (So. central NH)

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