Silent Spring Revisited

[Dave Green]

From: conlan at ADNC.COM  (Chris Conlan)

>OK, I'm sure we are all very saddened to see bees killed and understand how
>important they are to so many of our crops.  However, let's not propagandize
>their plight with false information.  Tasteless melons and curled cucumbers
>have nothing to do with bee visits!  The bees just pollinate, they don't add
>flavor and texture (unless of course, you eat them along with your fruit)!

   Well Chris, you voice the common misconception: that pollination is like
turning on a switch. One flip/bee visit, and it's all done.....     But it's
more like driving a nail:  many blows drive home the nail, particularly when
you have a large nail and a small hammer. Bees have to carry in many grains of
pollen to make a quality fruit. This requires many bee visits (which isn't
happening due to dwindling populations).

   It is well known among those involved with vegetable production that
inadequate bee populations lead to both blossom drop and poor quality fruit.

   Before you spout off further, run a seach on a high quality search engine
like www.google.com and get the real poop.

   Here's some stuff I found quite quickly:

1.  (Nice that they found one of my sites) -
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/cukpage1.htm (terrible graphics but enough to
show the concept)

2. From: Denny Schrock, Department of Horticulture, University of
Missouri-Columbia:
"What causes deformed cucumbers? Poor pollination is the main cause of poor
fruit shape. Since cucumbers require cross pollination, good bee activity is
essential. "

3.  From: 1999 Ohio Vegetable Production Guide, Bulletin 672:
"Local bee populations can be variable, resulting in poor cross-pollination,
lower yield and poor fruit shape. Provide one bee colony for every 50,000
plants. "

4. From: Commercial Vine Crop Production In Alberta  Prepared by Paul Ragan, 
Alberta Special Crops and Horticulture
Research Centre  
"Research has shown that each female flower should have between 10 and 12 bee
visits for complete pollination to ensure fruit is uniform and smooth in shape.
"

5.  This is generally true for all cucurbits:
Growing Pumpkins and Winter Squash,
Jonathan R. Schultheis, Extension Horticultural Specialist, Department of
Horticultural Science, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service:
"Pollination – Pumpkins are insect-pollinated and require bees for
pollination. Inadequate pollination results in poor fruit shape and excessive
blossom drop. At least one strong colony of bees per 2 acres is recommended. "

6. And for watermelons:
Watermelon pollination
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/scripts/htmlgen.exe?DOCUMENT_AA091



Pollinator at aol.com     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html

Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm