wkamason
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:10 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Bees and Tomato Pollination

Hi from an OK. beekeeper. FYI bees don't pollinate tomatoes.

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Welcome to the forum! We love beekeepers. You folks may end up being saviors of the world-as-we-know-it. How are your bees doing? Are you having any trouble with colony collapse disorder?

I don't keep bees, but I do grow tons of flowers that they like, organically with no poisons ever. I've seen a few honeybees this season, but not nearly the numbers we used to have.

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Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

Welcome! It's nice to have you join us! :)

I live in a city, but beekeeping is a very popular hobby in my neighborhood. Six of my near neighbors keep bees. Lots of bees around here. :D

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Hey WKAM

You are right about the tomatoes; they are self fertile...

But it turns out that a bee buzzes at EXACTLY the right frequency to cause the self-pollination in the tomato, so they still help out heaps... in commercial greenhouses they often use electric toothbrushes to mimic the bees... :o

Welcome!

HG

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jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Tomatoes need a little shake to pollinate. A bee will help and bees do work the blossoms a bit, however its not a favorite flower. Usually the breeze is enough to shake the plants and get them pollinated. Hothouse tomatoes need a shake.



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