# Pumpkin pollination and hive strenght



## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

I'm sure that 1 hive will increase without feed.......unless that acre of pumpkins is surrounded by about 128,000 acres of barren waste land ;-)


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

We did a little deal last year with a guy in which 50 acres were planted to squash in the first half of the growing season then pumpkins in the last half. The bees actually put on a little weight during the squash and perhaps held their own during the pumpkins.. certainly no weight gain. I will say the bees lit that pumpkin field up like a christmas tree though. Would not suggest a steady diet of pumpkin though, unless you really need the money (which we did).


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Wisnewbee said:


> I'm thinking of taking a recently split hive over to a friends farm to pollinate the acre of pumpkins he has. He doesn't usually use a professional service.
> 
> Bill


A. Your friend has pumpkins growing now? Usually, here, pumpkin growers call for bees late summer.
B. Good source of pollen? Not in my opinion. Pumpkin flowers are only open a few hours per day and honeybees are not as attractive to them as other plants are.
C. Bumblebees do a better job pollinating squashes and pumpkins.
D. It won't hurt your bees to be near the pumpkins, but they should be well developed by the time pumpkins are in bloom.
E. What else does your friend grow? Does he/she do alot of spraying of pesticides?


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## Wisnewbee (Apr 8, 2011)

sqkcrk; This information is for later in the summer. I was trying to determine if this would be a benefit to both my friend and the bees. I know it might not help a significant amount for the pumpkins since the colony strength would not yet be up to proper pollination requirements. I was hoping it would speed the growth of the colony by having a ready supply of pollen for brood development. The goal is to grow the population and strength so the colony has a good chance of wintering here in the north country. My friends farm is about 3-4 miles from me. Just outside the normal range of foraging. I was hoping to place the hives when about 15% of the blooms are ready. That should focus the bees attention on the pumpkins. Considering my goal, do you think this is achievable? The split will be coming from 2 other hives for swarm prevention. The split hasn't been done yet. Heck, the dandelions just started blooming here 3 days ago. Slow start this year. 

I live in a major dairy area. Most of the farmers grow corn and hay (alfalpha). They will usually cut the hay just after it starts to bloom. Bad for us, good for the cows. There is also the odd crop of barley, rye, and oats; none of which help out the bees very much. Most of the farmers in this area do very little spraying of pesticides. Homeowners are the major source of pesticide spraying. I live miles outside town, so this should have a minimal effect.

Bill


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

When it comes to getting colony strength up.... monocultures do not seem to help very much. Possibly with the exception of the years when I have seen them come out of the Almonds with very heavy populations. At least around here pumpkins will not boost a populations... only hopefully sustain it. If you are looking for a boost the best bet is to find a nice "Swamp"... plenty of biodiversity there and that is what bees seem to like... IMHO.


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