>>Did I not read recently that honey bees do not pollinate blueberries? That
buzz pollination is required and that can only be provided by bumblebees?
The blueberry crop that our honey bees produce would belie that. We pollinate both netted and open-planted blueberries very successfully.
Some bumblebees do do a good job of blueberry pollination, but the buzz pollination is not a requirement as such.
Other bumble bees (short-tongued, I believe) are a real problem in blueberry plantings, as they chew through the side of the flower, bypassing the pollen to go straight to the nectar... which our honey bees then take advantage of as well, leaving the flower unpollinated.
regards
Deanna Corbett
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
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