Biobees

The Efficient Pollinator

Bumblebees are incredibly efficient pollinators of many commercially grown plants and work for longer and faster than honeybees do. Their large size and hairy body allows for the effective collection and deposition of large quantities of pollen. Good pollination increases the quality (bigger fruit with more seeds), and quantity (higher percentage of fruit set), and can be the difference between a meagre or bountiful crop.

Biobees Limited is the largest bumblebee supplier in New Zealand. They produce easily managed hives for the pollination of commercially grown crops and provide strong, standardised hives for an effective pollination that last for a minimum of 4 weeks if appropriately cared for.

Biobees hives are available from Horticentre at no extra cost, so you can conveniently order your hives through your local Horticentre representative while getting the lowest price on the market.

Outdoor crops

Bumblebees are extremely efficient pollinators in outdoor crops too! Biobees now offers weather-resistant boxes for outdoor use.

Easy to manage

Hives can be transported between different crops to satisfy different pollination periods
No ongoing maintenance or sugar feeding
You own them

Bumblebees vs honeybees

A single bumblebee is worth many honeybees, at least 50 in certain crops like kiwifruit
Bumblebees work faster, in worse weather and for more of the day than honeybees do
Bumblebees perform better under all forms of crop cover, from netting to full plastic and fully enclosed sides
Bumblebees are better at cross-pollination than honeybees
Bumblebees are poor communicators, they won’t all leave the crop for richer flowers like honeybees will
Bumblebees work well when used with honeybees, achieving better overall pollination than one species alone

Ideal working range

Mainly within a 50 m radius from hive: bumblebees are easier to keep focused on your crop
Easier to spread evenly throughout the crop
Density of hives is crop specific so please ask us for advice

Sturdy hive construction

Weather resistant two hive box available
Guaranteed minimum 4 weeks

NEW

For the first time in New Zealand, the Flying doctors^®

Specially developed pollen dispensing hives will be available for trials in kiwifruit this year for the first time. These can be used to take artificially harvested pollen out to the crop. The bumblebees transfer the pollen directly to the flowers, meaning less waste and significant pollen and labour savings, plus hives can be moved from gold to green to further minimise costs.

Used increasingly in Italy to pollinate kiwifruit, trials show it is as effective as hand pollination in the absence of males.

For more information or to place an order contact:

Mike Sim

Biobees Limited | 1332 Omahu Road, Hastings 4175

M: (022) 495 4066 | E: mike.sim@biobees.co.nz

(06) 879 5883 | www.biobees.co.nz

Article Source – https://horticentre.co.nz/index.php/products-services-2/consumables/biobees/

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