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Let’s first explain: bumblebees and bees belong to the same family, the Aphidae (family: bees and bumblebees). As a consequence, they are very much alike. Still there are some significant differences between bumblebees and bees. Bumblebees are bigger and have more hair on their bodies. This makes them more suitable for pollination than bees. Furthermore bumblebees, in contrast to bees, do not produce honey.

​​​​Bumblebee​​​​

​​​​Bee​​​​

Using bumblebees instead of bees for pollination of a crop has a number of advantages, which are:

• At relatively low temperatures (>8⁰C) and with little light (cloudy weather) the bumblebee flies out, something the bee doesn’t do. As such, the bumblebee can be made use of in the spring and the fall.
• The flight patterns of the bumblebee are very effective. The bumblebee visits a variety of trees/plants and different rows. This causes a lot of cross-pollination.
• The bumblebee is active during much of the day, some 18 hours per day.
• Due to the combination of the larger body, the thick coat and the strong, vibrating wings of the bumblebee, a lot of pollen remain on the coat after visiting flowers. This ensures large amounts of pollen to be exchanged between flowers.
• In comparison with other bees or wasps, the bumblebee is less aggressive towards people. Bumblebees will hardly ever sting, except when they feel threatened, or when the colony is being attacked.
• Bumblebees are also effective in pollination of protected cultivations or covered cultivation (by use of nets).
• Bumblebees are not likely to abandon the greenhouse in search for a ‘more attractive’ crop. Other pollinators may alternate sometimes and try to find more attractive plants outside the greenhouse.
  

Royal Brinkman sells bumblebee Bombus terrestris (also known as the Nature bumblebee) or main supplier Agrobío. The bumblebee B. Terrestris naturally occurs in the Netherlands and other European countries. Agrobío re-creates the entire lifecycle of the bumblebee in a controlled area in the south of Spain. That way the naturally abiotic conditions can be simulated perfectly. This ensures a high quality of the bumblebees and the bumblebees suffer the least distress during this process. Everything within this process is natural; synthetic products (e.g. nutrition) are not being made use of. A bumblebee population consists of one queen and around 60-70 workers. A population will last up to 6 or 8 weeks in the greenhouse. The first 4 weeks the population will be most active regarding pollination.

Recent major changes in technology in the greenhouses, but also the changing Dutch climate, have influence on the effectivity of the bumblebees. Higher temperatures and light intensity in particular adversely affect the development of the pollen grains and, as such, the pollination by the bumblebee indirectly. By means of introduction of diffuse light and a better climate control (cooler climate) the pollination can be put back in order. For any questions regarding the possible adjustments in the greenhouse you can contact one of our crop protection specialists.

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