Okay. I don't have a bee colony or a greenhouse. And I'll probably never have either, because I live in an apartment. Nevertheless, the topic of keeping bees in a greenhouse has been on my mind.
I don't have much knowledge of bees. But from what I understand, honeybees can't be confined to a greenhouse. And bumblebee colonies die off every year. ... Except, apparently, Bombus atratus.
A single Bombus atratus colony in the wild can persist for multiple years. And there exists a company that breeds them commercially. And South American farmers have reported great success using them in greenhouses.
So, is there any reason tropical bumblebees wouldn't thrive in a Minnesota greenhouse?
Given that wild Bombus atratus in their natural habitat can keep a colony going for several years, can it be expected that domesticated Bombus atratus in a controlled environment would survive at least as long?
Welcome to Beemaster! I feel sure that there are other folks here that are far more qualified to answer your question than am I, but I will at least try to help. By the way, don't let the apartment dwelling discourage you from honeybees! If you happen to become interested in the honeybee, you are sure to find some country folks who will probably be willing to let you locate a hive or two on their property.
The following is just a small sample from
Hobby Farms
Titled: How To Pollinate Your Greenhouse with Honey Bees
You might want to google it and check it out.
Two Pollination Solutions
A greenhouse is a challenging space to encourage natural pollination. On our farm, we have 35 stand-alone Honey bee hives. Our small greenhouse is 12 by 24 feet, and we allow pollination to take place during the summer by opening the top vents and front doors of the greenhouse during the day. If your needs are limited to your typical growing season, using Honey bees for pollination can be this simple. Just locate a hive next to the greenhouse and be sure it is accessible to them from early morning until after the sun has set in the evening. This length of time allows the last stragglers to return home without getting trapped.
However, if you?re attempting to grow in a large greenhouse space or are trying to extend your growing season, simply having a hive somewhere on your land will not cover your needs. At this point, you might want to place a hive directly in the greenhouse. This sounds simple, but actually requires quite a bit of planning. In the height of summer, a flourishing colony can contain upwards of 60,000 bees?that?s quite a lot of bees to negotiate when you want to work in your greenhouse.
Topic: Perennial Bumblebees? (Read 1077 times)