In a message dated 98-02-18 19:29:08 EST, you write:
 
<< Besides using honeybees for pollination, who have too short a tounge for
 some flowers like red clover I have read that bumblebees for this purpose.
 
 How do you keep bumblebees in an small farm agricultural setting ?  Also
 how would you encourage solitary bees ?  Do either of these bees produce
 any honey, pollen, or any other bee products ?
  >>
 
    There is a wealth of info on the Pollination Scene web page. By the time
you follow out all the links, you will have a quite an education on
pollination. You might especially look at Drs. Susan Batra and Karen
Strickland's new web site on solitary bees (under "Alternative Pollinators").
 
   BTW, I saw my first bumblebee queen yesterday. It was in the 70's Tuesday,
with lots of fruit bloom. She apparently came out of hiding, but did not find
a protected spot for overnight, so she was near frozen in the morning.
 
    The pollination page got rootbound in its available space, so it'll be
repotted soon, in a bigger and better way.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
 
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm