http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html -- -------------------------------------------------------------- Lawrence F. London, Jr. - Dragonfly Market Gardens mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu - mailto:llondon@bellsouth.net http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden/permaculture.html --------------------------------------------------------------
Have you tried a cantaloupe from your local supermarket, and found it totally tasteless? Does your garden produce cucumbers with wasp waists, or tails on the end? Are you sick of bags of tiny apples that taste starchy rather than sweet? How about watermelons that promise sweetness, but are flat tasting, and gas you up?
It could be you are experiencing the results of poor pollination. Many fruits cannot develop full flavor and filled out flesh, unless they are well pollinated. Some fruits, like peaches are easy to pollinate, and one visit by a bee can do the job.
But many require multiple visits. It makes little sense to speak of an apple blossom being "set," unless your quality standards are minimal. An apple with three seeds set, may hang through the June drop, if conditions are ideal, but it will never make a quality apple. We want to set 8 to 10 seeds.
Obviously it is more sensible to speak of seeds being set, than of flowers being set. And a good seed set usually requires multiple bee visits. Pollination of the seeds creates the chemicals that cause the flesh of the fruit to form, and create the sugars that indicate ripeness. For example, a half pollinated watermelon will never fully ripen. Each white seed represents potential that was never realized, both in terms of size and shape, and of sweetness. Symptoms of poor pollination are often unrecognized; the poor quality being blamed on weather or other factors. Here is the difference between good pollination and poor pollination with raspberries. The flower in the second case did not have enough bee visits. (Image from "Pollination for the Home Gardener" Dadant & Sons, Hamilton, IL 62341
In Grandpa's day, farms were small and pollinators were abundant. Grandpa was a major melon grower if he had more than a couple acres. He probably had some bee gums on the farm; perhaps his neighbors did too. And there may well have been a dozen wild hives in trees in the forest nearby.
Today , the wild honeybees are mostly gone, and kept honeybees are greatly reduced. His grandson may have several hundred acres of melons, but pesticide misuse, new parasites and diseases, development, clearcut logging, loss of forage plants, and poor honey markets have all but removed the pollinators.
A modern farmer must not assume that pollination of his fruits and vegetables
will occur; he must manage pollination, just as he does fertility, or pest and disease
control.
A melon that will never make it to market ; one end is poorly pollinated
-- a result of too few visits by a bee in the blossom
More photos of melon pollination
This web page is an attempt to help bring together practical pollination info for
all those who are involved in horticulture. It is just a beginning, and we hope input
from others will aid it to grow rapidly. Anything you'd like to see here?
...Of Bees, Beekeepers and Food
Note: This is a separate website. It will take you out of "The Pollination Scene."
Flower Sex FAQ Basic pollination introduction
Seed Counts to evaluate pollination effectiveness in apples
Bee Attractants - Are they working yet?
A simple way to Evaluate Hive Strength
A good list of pollenizers for northwestern US tree and small fruit is available from Zook Nurseries. If your computor is capable of audio, you can also play the music to get your flowers "In the Mood."
For north central and northeastern US fruits we recommend Cummins Nursery, which provides a good list of pollenizers.
Asian Pear Pollinators & Pollenizers
Pollenizer/pollinator management for mid-Atlantic fruit orchards
Pollenizers for pluots and apriums
Orchard pollenizers needed in every row
Orchard pollination management in Michigan
Orchard pollenizers in Nova Scotia
Pollination tips for Beekeepers: Pollination Contracts
Varroa Mites with Photos - One of several reasons we are short of pollinators
A Mystery "Parasite?" Photo of "eggs" seen on a drone pupa.
A honeybee queen surrounded by her attendants
Photos of some kinds of bees
McGregor's Files
(Including Bibliography):
From Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants By S. E. McGregor, apiculturist Agriculture Handbook No. 496 Agricultural Research Service, USDA July 1976 (Out of Print - Public Domain)
(Note: McGregor's handbook often referred to as the "Pollination Bible" pulls together the pollination research to 1976, for which the agricultural community owes a great debt. Pollination conditions have changed so greatly in the 20 years since, that an update is badly needed.)
Pesticide Labels and Bees What the Labels Do and Do Not Say - Often Misrepresented and Misunderstood -And Logical, Common Sense Implications
Two basic types of insecticides, and examples of their bee directions
Editorial on Forgotten Pollinators, and Proposed Pesticide Label Changes, which will remove all protection for wild bees.
My letter to Jim Bach of the committee evaluating proposed pesticide label changes.
(Many of the files for commercial growers also are applicable for gardens. Especially of value would be the graphics showing effects of good pollination/poor pollination, and Keith Mueller's articles on hand pollination.)
Exotic Fruits -Notes from California Rare Fruit Growers on culture and pollination of lesser known fruits.
You are theperson to visit this website since March 27, 1997.
Meet the Old Drone and His Queen
Y'all come back now, heah!
And please let us know what you think. This page should be changing fast.