Bumblebee Pollination
Pollination is defined as the transport of pollen by a vector including wind, water, birds, and bats but an important factor is pollinated by insects. And some species require only bees to cross-pollinate because they are self-incompatible. Bye the way, what makes bumblebees are special for pollinators of crops?
Bumblebees are more reliable pollinators which have lower temperature conditions than honey bees and can pollinate flowers in cooler. And also they have long tongues are especially effective pollinator of flowers with long tubes. Bumblebees are capable of buzz pollinations(about 400HZ vibrate the anthers in short bursts to release pollen) make excellent pollinators of solanaceous flowers such as tomatoes and peppers. With greenhouse crops such as tomato, for which bumblebees are also very effective pollinators growers now not just in greenhouses but in plastic tunnels, structures covered with screen and in open fields; fruit grower like apple persimmon peach etc
Green Agro Tech established production system managed by computerized automation system as well as large production capacity more than 40,000 colonies all year round rearing system. And also, welleducated consultant manager is located in large area greenhouse cluster widely spread in whole country to communicate directly with farmers.
In order to satisfy these markets conditions, our facility had established to have colonies available all year round rearing. Bumblebee requires artificial feeding source(high protein pollen & sugar solution) provided by GAT quality control for colony development in our facility. For preparation of commercial hive, fully filled sugar solution into plastic container located at the bottom of the hive and supplied to the brood compartment automatically through filter. Quality is controlled by manager who is completing hives recheck and Kotbuni Bumblebee dispatch from safety logistics system. Every time customer needs bumblebee pollinator, we are close to you.
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What is the Kotbuni Bumblebee? Bombus terrestris is a member of the European Bombus family and the one of the most suitable bees for pollination, of all the kinds of bees in nature. The Kotbuni Bumblebee is the first pollination bee intended for greenhouse crops and developed by the industrial and educational cooperation between Kyungpook National University and Yecheongun Insect Research Center, and supported by the FAO technically and financially (FAO/TCP/ROK 8912). Kotbuni is the commercial name applied trademark for this bumblebee (trademark application 2004-1842). |
Traits of Kotbuni Bumblebees
| Features | Details |
| Strong homing instinct | Queen leads social organization like honey bees |
| Characteristic foraging behavior | Pollinates by vibrating its chest muscle |
| Long tongue | Able to forage in flowers with long throats |
| Adaptability in bad conditions | Forage even in low temperature(5~6 ) or in bad weather, such as cloudiness, light snow, windy or rain |
Advantages of using Kotbuni Bumblebees
| Advantage | Details |
| Labor saving | Take over pollination work (able to do pollination around 600~900m2 area) |
| High fruits production | Reduce poor fruits and increase productivity |
| Competitive quality | Increase weight, size, seed, sweetness, and acidity of fruits |
| Effective pollination | Able to pollinate flower with long throats, which honey bees can’t do |
| Diversity & Coexistence | Raise crops using beneficial live insects Avoid poisonous agricultural chemicals |
| Environmentally friendly | Produce high quality and quantity fruits and vegetables, local Brand products |
The quantity of bumblebees in one hive : One queen and 70~80 working bees
Working bees can be increased up to 350, if eggs and larvae are well controlled, this is available to pollinate in orchard too.
Crops using Kotbuni bumblebee : Crops for pollination: greenhouse vegetables (tomato, strawberry, eggplant, pepper, melon, zucchini, etc.), orchard (apple, peach etc)
Seed Stock: Seeds of pepper, Chinese Cabbage, Onion, etc.
Pollination Area of one hive (for tomatoes) : Tomato: 900~1650 ã¡, Cherry Tomato: 600~900 ã¡
Orchard: 6hives/ha in Apple
Pollination Period of Kotbuni Bumblebee : Around 45~60 days (it can be different, depending on pollination environments)
Pollination Temperature of Kotbuni Bumblebee : Around 10~30°C
Kotbuni bumblebee hive in tomato greenhouse : Hive is developed to optimize the condition for pollination activities (Utility Model Registration No. 0348723)
The condition of hive : The hive has 70~80 working bees at first, but they can be increased up to 350 depending on the management
