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Author Topic: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees  (Read 9478 times)

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #20 on: December 02, 2007, 07:51:57 pm »

I get the impression that Rdy-B spoke about the bees not pollinating the tomatoes because their may be a more attractive source of nectar/pollen going on at the same time.  Rdy-B correct me if I am wrong.  Impression I got.

YOU are absolutely correct it is one of the things most people dont understand about bees is the fact that bees have FORAGE FIDELITY -with so much blooming why would they go to a plant that is nectar-less for them -with so much more pollen of better caliber available  ;) RDY-b

Offline Angi_H

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #21 on: December 02, 2007, 11:57:19 pm »
The reasion I said that was because I am getting 2 established hives and should have spair honey with established bees. They are going to be placed between the blueberries and tomatoes and have the pumpkins, watermelon and wildflowers planted to run around the hives. There will be 2 established hives and the other hive I want to buy package bees and a queen to try a different breed and see what does well. and after the wheat the corn goes in so the readly avail plants will be in there 1/2 acre plot with them smack dab in the middle.



Angi, I don't know what to say to you.  It sounds like you have a fantastic place to keep bees, they will had food and nourishment like there is no tomorrow.   That is 100% depicted by what you are speaking about. 

I get the impression that Rdy-B spoke about the bees not pollinating the tomatoes because their may be a more attractive source of nectar/pollen going on at the same time.  Rdy-B correct me if I am wrong.  Impression I got.

That is sometimes an issue with farmers, they require pollination of a specific plant, and the bees sometimes will pass right back that crop because a forager bee has come home and told them of a better crop elsewhere.  It can be an issue.  I know that.  Blueberries here are not OVERLY attractive to bees, and sometimes the farmers have issues with them (even if they are close to blueberry fields) going to another crop, not overly often, but I have heard people speak of it.  My bee course instructor told me that sometimes he had "baited" his hives with a fresh blueberry blossom.  That way when they came out that would be something that they encountered immediately.  I don't know how true this is, it could be hokey pokey, but he said this.

I think that if you set a bee colony right smack dab in with the tomatoes or really close by, then you can be almost guaranteed that the bees will pollinate the flowers.  I grow tomatoes and I can personally say that the bees really like the tomato plants and have a field day.  So, I know that I have enough bees here.

I know hand pollinating tomatoes is ridiculous, especially when they reach such high heights.  I recall reading in my seed supplier magazine that tomatoes must be pollinated around the hour of noon.  That was rather odd to me, and I couldn't imagine doing that right in the hottest part of the day.

I don't want to burst your bubble Angi, but you must listen to this.  When you get bees this year, you may or may not get an overabundance of honey to sell.  Don't count on it.  Do count on maybe getting some for yourself.  The first year of growing colonies is their building up year.  This is the year where they must become healthy and strong.  For the next year, then they will be in great numbers and conditions to work hard for you and them, and you will undoubtedly have excess honey.  You said that you have people awaiting your honey and pollen.  If you tell them that you will have lots for them this year, I think they will be very disappointed.  Sorry, didn't mean to rock your socks, but this is the real actuality of the scene.  Still, go for it, and you will become a great beekeeper, it is s wonderful thing.  Have a wonderful and great day, girl.  Cindi

Offline Cindi

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #22 on: December 03, 2007, 09:40:03 am »
Angi, good.  It sounds like you have lots of good forage for the girls, I hope that everything works out well, and I am sure that it will.  Getting the established hives is a great beginning, far better than getting package bees or nucs.  You may indeed get some honey and that is a wonderful and great thing.  Have fun with you world of the bees, the more that you know, the more that you will want to know, yea!!!  Have a beautiful and great day, Cindi
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Offline KONASDAD

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #23 on: December 03, 2007, 12:03:10 pm »
I was told that tomatoes are niteshade [plants and our bees aren't needed to pollinate. I get boat loads of tomatoes and have nevver seen a bee on a tomatoe flowere ever. Sometimes the bees only go to a flower at certain times of the day( morning, late afternoon etc), perhaps when I am at work and i wouldn't know. I have never had a pollination prob w/ tomatoes.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2007, 04:38:54 pm »
I also need it for my allergies and the health bennifits of it being that I have fibromyalgia, degenerative discs, restless  legs, Chroinc pain, chronic fatigue and tmj with failed joint surgery and can bairly eat. I also have high cholestrol.

You sound just like me to all you listed I also have to add: asthma, sleep-apnea, migraine headaches, ostea-arthritis, and several food allergies (milk and apples for example).


Quote
I have bees comming to me from our friend but they are from swarms he cought in the spring. And I wanted to start a few hives of different breeds to see which ones work better out here. I am smack dab in the middle of farm country there is endless pollination possabilities around here and they will never go hungery. There are 15 alfalfa fields in the 2 sq miles around me and that does not include the orchards of fruit and nut trees around. I am also looking into this for a friend who owns 3 dairys and lots of farm land and if I can get going good they would help me buy hives to place on there orchard they are planning to plant in the next year or 2. Almonds and I would manage them and reep all of the bennifits of the honey. And they would help me and it would help them. Yes they would get honey as well as they are really good friends. They just dont want to have to pay the huge fees for rentals and they thought that if I felt up to it I could manage them and they would help me by them and I could market the pollen, honey and propelles(sp). So sorry no Mason Bees. I dont think we could have them any way
Angi

If you're getting 2 hives and need more you can always split the ones you have.  Different strains are not a necessity but a lot can be learned from observing the differences in dominate characteristics between the different strains.  As for the Tomatoes, I had my bees into my tomates up until the frist frost.  I was into a nectar dearth this year and had to feed the bees the last half of the summer or loose them.  They were bringing in plenty of pollen--much of it tomato when other sources weren't available. 

Bees do seem to have a priority of acceptable forage plants for both nectar and pollen, but when the pickings get slim they will go for what's available.  This is why saturation of bees works in pollenating plants the bees don't normally visit.  If there are too many bees for the desired plants then bees go for the less desirable plants.  Put enough bees in on a field crop and portion of those bees will work the flowers--this is why farmers pay bucks for putting bees on their crops.
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2007, 10:47:59 pm »
For the record, tomatoes do not need bees for pollination.  Tomato flowers are self-fertile, the wind is enough to pollinate the tomatoes.  The pollen, however, may be attractive to the bees, same as corn, another plant that doesn't need bees for pollination.  I have no idea what the nutritional value of tomato pollen is, but I do know that corn pollen isn't the best for the bees, but they don't seem to care, they gather it anyways.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #26 on: December 03, 2007, 11:05:56 pm »
Eeks, about greenhouse forced tomatoes. I recall reading in my seed catalogue that the tomatoes must be pollinated around the hour of noon.  Go figure.....I don't get that, does anyone know why they would suggest this time of day, it really was indicated that it was integral to good tomato fruit set?

They suggested (like you said, Ann), to perform your own wind pollination.  By that they suggested an empty backpack sprayer, using that pumped up high to get the wind to blow gently on the male and female blossoms to set the fruit.  I thought it too much bother personally.  The tomatoes in the greenhouse get pollinated by who only knows what.  I know that I do see many bees and bumbles on my tomato plants in the greenhouse.  Beautiful day, beautiful life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Where to buy package or Nuk Bees
« Reply #27 on: December 03, 2007, 11:06:59 pm »
only time bees gather corn pollen is if there is nothing else for them-the thing with tomatoes is bees dont have to gather pollen from it - in there pollen baskets -they just visit the flower when foraging and because bees produce static electric charge -the pollen clings to them -they can be foraging for nectar and this will happen - this is why bees are so good at what they do-perhaps they can aid in the pollination process but it is not there intent -thats why most people say bees dont work tomatoes -to much more available at a higher pay day - RDY-B