Tomatoes are mostly self-pollinated, but need the wind or something shaking
the vines to get the pollen from the anthers to the the pistil.
    When my biochem professor learned I was doing some tomato genetics, he
said he grew up in a college town and his first job was working for a tomato
genetics professor. The kid's job was to walk down the rows of tomatoes in
the greenhouse and tap the vines with a stick to move pollen from the
anthers to the pistil of the same flower.
   I began beekeeping about 1946. I made my own hives in woodworking class
at school out of tulip tree wood which I carried a mile to school. When I
went to college, the hives died out after a few years and rotted to a pile
of humus. I now have 3 hives, but no bees, but hope to get them stocked in
2005. I still do maize and vegetable genetics 25 miles west of Louisville,
KY. We see a honeybee about 1 to 3 times per year. I have lots of white,
yellow, and little Dutch clover and other nectar sources.

Harold Eddleman, Ph.D.,  President, Indiana Biolab
Molecular Genetics and Plant Viruses
14045 Huff St, Palmyra  IN  47164
-----Original Message-----
From: david flathman <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 8:14 PM
Subject: [BEE-L] polination


>last week i met a big time 3rd generation tomato farmer with 250 acres
under
>cultivation, who knows everything there is to know about growing
tomatoes. --  he dismissed me by saying the tomato flowers are
>polinated by the wind and he didn't need bees.
snip

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::