> Perhaps some kind Bee-List member in Holland, Belgium or Israel will come
> up with some more information.  Sid P.
 
I cited from Apimondia, Antwerpen. Progamma and summaries of the raports site
76 Nr. 450
 
Pollination of corps with reared bumblebee colonies started only 10 years ago.
By then,
bublebees appeared to be reliable, eficent and relatively cheap (compared to
current
practice of hand-pollination) pollinators of tamato crops in greenhouse in
Belgium and the Netherlands.
 
During the past 10 years, the production of bublebee colonies for poolination
puposes has increased
enormously. In 1996, probably close to half a million bublebee colonies were
sold worldwide,
representing a value of about 75 million US$. Most od the sales concern BUMBUS
terrestis (used
in Europe, the Middle East, northern Afica, Asia and New Zealand), Bumbus
impatiens and Bumbus occidentalis (both species are used in Nord America) At
present, tomato corps in glass-, plastic or net-houses still constitute the
major object for bublebee pollination; other corps include, among others,
peppers, melons, eggplants, stawberies, blue-berries and cranberries
 
end of the cited
 
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