ISHS Acta Horticulturae 288: VI International Symposium on Pollination
REARING AND DOMESTICATION OF LONG TONGUED BUMBLE BEES IN NEW ZEALAND |
| Authors: | R.P. Griffin, R.P. Macfarlane, H.J. van den Ende |
| Abstract:
A reliable method has been developed for rearing pocket making species such as Bombus hortorum. Most queens were fed, mated and overwintered in screen cages. In autumn, 50–88% of the new queens of B. hortorum collected from colonies entered hibernation. During winter only 3–5% of the queens died. In spring, emerging queens were put into rearing boxes and fed on sugar or honey solutions and pollen collected by honeybees. B. hortorum was more easily reared than B. subterraneus. One person reared up to 107 colonies per season. Further research is needed to maximise the productivity of the rearing system and to induce more consistent and rapid egg laying to increase colony size. | |
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