Strawberry growers benefit from using Biobest bumblebees

15/04/2020 - Mother Nature is awakening early this year due to the high daytime temperatures. Strawberry growers cultivating in tunnels are already ordering bumblebees from Biobest. Ordering in good time ensures availability. At Biobest we offer bumblebee hives in various sizes, depending on the length of the tunnels. Our Bee-Coat helps to maintain the bumblebees’ temperature during cold nights. 

The use of bumblebees in strawberry cultivation is fully established. It ensures higher yield and higher-quality strawberries. Biobest advisor, Jurgen Bouveroux says; “It is important to carefully coordinate the number of bumblebees with the length of the tunnel. Over-pollination is, in fact, not desirable. If the tunnel is less than 50 metres long, we recommend a Mini Hive. For tunnels between 50 and 100 metres, a Premium or Turbo Hive is best. And, for longer tunnels we combine various hives of our bumblebee Bombus terrestris.”

Cold nights

In early spring nights can still be cold, which is why Biobest developed the Bee-Coat. “The Bee-Coat is a warm jacket for the single hive box,” explains Jurgen. “It is a polystyrene cover that fits around the cardboard hive providing insulation. Protecting bumblebees from the cold at night makes them more active during the day. Bee-Coats are reusable, so strawberry growers can keep them and use them the following year.”