I recently had a call from a person who is going to establish a vineyard.
She wants me to provide her with bees to pollinate her grapes.  Its an
excellent offer.  She is willing to pay for the bees and equipment.  I get
the honey in exchange for tending the hives.  I have never heard of a demand
for bees to work grapes.  Has anyone had experience in doing this?  Do bees
successfully pollinate grapes?  I wonder if grapes are self-pollinating.

Even if the grapes are not a good nectar source, the area in which she is
located would likely produce an excellent honey crop.  I would appreciate
the location for a bee yard, but don't want to mislead her about the
usefulness of the bees to her grapes.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Larry Krengel
Marengo, IL  USA

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