AT A GLANCE
How do bees pollinate apple blossoms?
Apple blossoms are pollinated by bees by foraging for nectar, picking up and dispersing pollen in the process. Honey bees and wild bees are effective pollinators, with honey bees pollinating over 90% of flowers. Encourage bees with a variety of flowering plants, nesting sites, and insect-friendly landscaping.
How are apple blossoms pollinated by bees?
bees search in one apple blossom after nectar, get to the pollen-carrying stamens and powder their dense fur with the pollen. When they visit a second flower, they touch it on their search for nectar pollen on the stigma of this flower. The pollen fertilizes the ovary, from which the apple fruit then develops. Because our culture apples are self-sterile, they require for a successful fertilization Pollen from other apple trees (“pollinator varieties”). This way will too Pear trees pollinated by bees.
also read
- pruning apple tree
Which insects are best at pollinating apple blossoms?
Pollinate in gardens without honey bees
wild bees most of the fruit trees. In addition to wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies are also important. Work in cold weather bumblebees better than honey bees as they heat up from muscle tremors. Honey bees do not fly when the temperature is below 15 degrees.How do I attract bees to pollinate the apple blossoms?
Neighborhood honey bees will discover your apple trees on their own and fly to the blossoms. Wild bees complement honey bees when pollinating the apple trees. The more different flowering plants grow in the garden, the more comfortable the furry insects will feel in the garden. Many native wild bees suffer from too little nesting opportunities. A insect hotel in the garden can help. The nature conservation associations give tips on building or buying good insect hotels and Settlement of wild bees in the garden.
How effective is bee pollination of apple blossoms?
Honey bees work extremely effectively. According to the German Beekeepers Association, honey bees pollinate more than 90 % the blossoms one apple treess. Without honey bees, just under 30 to 40% of all flowers are fertilized.
How do I encourage pollination of apple blossoms by bees?
Bees love warm places and a wide range of flowers. Plant leafy ones , flowering shrubs as a windbreak. Wild bees hibernate likes dry perennials, clay walls, burrows in the ground or dead wood; such structures mark an insect-friendly garden. Also a insect hotel(€29.00 at Amazon*) promotes the settlement of wild bees. A shallow drinking bowl is popular with insects and birds. This is how you create optimal conditions for the hard-working crawlers.
Tip
Experiment: play bee yourself!
In Sichuan (China), fruit trees are pollinated by people because there are too few pollinating insects due to the massive use of pesticides. Workers brush the pollen from the apple blossoms of one tree onto the stigmas in the blossoms of the other tree. Perhaps you would like to try this out on your apple tree.
