# Pollinating Strawberries



## greengage (Jul 6, 2015)

Strawberries are not just pollinated by Honey bees, When grown indoors Bumblebees are used but have to be fed as strawberries give little nectar only pollen. Also strawberries have over 200 small floretts the proboscis of honeybes is not long enough to reach the inner ones. Deprending where you live flowers can suffer frost damage outdoors, other insects such as snails, and Slugs can be a problem for fruit and birds like them too.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

If the strawberry patch is close to the sunflower fields then your bees will likely to
visit the sunflowers there. In Woodland here, there are strawberries and sunflowers as well as
other conventional farm veggies. One concern I have is what chemical the farmers are using within
your bee pollination area? Will they kill the bees? One strawberry farmer will use the Neem oil for
the strawberry mites control. Of course, there are many other chemicals used that are not too bee friendly either.
If this is your 1st time on this venture then consider holding some hives back to
restock the unforeseen problems or issues your hives may have there. Reading some other posts here asking if
their bees died because of the potential pesticide or not make my mind goes wild already. Just the diagnostic part is
hard enough. Then you have to take them to the independent bee lab to find out the causes. One strawberry farmer
reported that the beekeeper's bees died in the millions all over in the holding yard. Not sure if it was due to the poison or
the summer bees dying there. Of course, with thousand of hives there it seems like the bees are disposable to this beekeeper. Consider your hive numbers and the rebuilding process before taking on this adventure. Good luck!


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Dups!


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## PeterP (Feb 5, 2014)

I keep about 10 hives on a mixed fruit and market garden farm. My bees are next to about 7 acres of raspberries. Fields of sweet corn and strawberries are near by. The farmer rotates the strawberry fields with corn and moves around a big patch of tomatoes peppers and mellons. There are 10-20 acres of apples as well. Some standards some high density dwarfs. The farm is next to a wooded area and uncropped rough areas. A very pollen rich area. 
The honey bees will ignore the strawberries unless there is no other forage available. Stay away from the apples, if any, as too much pesticides used. I get a good flow from the raspberries, basswood, star thistle, goldenrod. I get a good bump from dandelion and maples before putting on supers. 
Check with the farmer if he plants any green manure crops and avoid buckwheat. A little bit of buckwheat will turn your honey darker. 
If you are lucky your farmer will be too busy to cultivate and mow everywhere and you will get a lot of minor pollen sources.

Regards Peter


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Watch out for fungicides. Some farmers use a tremendous amount of it on strawberries. Much more deadly to a hive than pesticides...


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

Strawberries are predominately pollinated by wind. Honeybees can increase berry size. Fungicides may be used, and are most effective when applied during pollination. Insecticides are not widely used, typically, for strawberries. Other crops possibly.

It sounds like a good location for bees. What nectar sources will be available throughout the year? My impression of long island is a pretty diverse botany.

You might want to contact the the local Cornell Cooperative Extension office. They will know what may be used and aware of other potential concerns.

Tom


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

camero7 said:


> Watch out for fungicides. Much more deadly to a hive than pesticides...


Really?
That is the first I have heard of that.
:scratch:


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

HarryVanderpool said:


> Really?
> That is the first I have heard of that.
> :scratch:


MP mentioned fungicides when pollinating apples that might be a reason for winter loss.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

Dan the bee guy said:


> MP mentioned fungicides when pollinating apples that might be a reason for winter loss.


Fungicides applied in March as a causation for losses the following winter?
:scratch:


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Just my experience in apples Harry. I'm very leery of fungicides as a result. Lost about 20 hives a few years ago.


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## Hillbillybees (Mar 3, 2016)

Camero7, what percentage of the set were the 20 hives? Did you re-queen in late summer?


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

It was the whole set. No requeening. Most were going downhill so badly that I didn't want to waste good queens on them. I'm sure they got stuff in the comb. I burned all the comb. No more issues like that since. Convinced me it wasn't management [which I always blame when I lose a hive absent some evidence] but something in the hives. I suspect the hives took some direct spray. I wasn't there but I could smell the fungicide when I worked them, even when I brought them to their yard.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

thank you all for your input.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Studies are showing more fungicides showing up in pollen in beehives that had recently been in apple orchards. And they aren't good for bees.


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

HarryVanderpool said:


> Fungicides applied in March as a causation for losses the following winter?
> :scratch:


You have a hive that has collected a lot of pollen that's loaded with fungicide the bees raise brood with that pollen. The hive is slow to recover to make a crop of honey has bees that have compromised immune system. The bees can't live long enough for the colony to survive the winter.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

And some die in the summer


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