MANAGEMENT OF HONEYBEES FOR POLLINATION PURPOSES IN THE GDR

Honeybees are the most important pollinators because they are constantly available in a great number, and furthermore they have other positive features. This knowledge was confirmed also by our own experiments.

The results are shown in table 1 and in figure 1 and figure 2.

In the GDR the utilization of honeybees as to pollination has been recommended centrally since the sixties and ordered by law since 1974.

So the farmers had to pay between 5.- and 120.- Mark per colony (for pollination in greenhouses 250.- M) and carry the hives free of charge.

This management has contributed to better yields of fruit and seed crops and to a development of the beekeeping in our country.

Upon the introduction of a free market every farmer can decide himself whether or not to use bees for pollination.

As a result of experience withe pollination by bees in Europe and other continents international recommandations for pollinationservice based on contracts should be published and supported by the beekeepers organisations as well as the ministries of agriculture.

Table 1 - Yields in cages without bees in percent of yields in cages with honeybees.

Fruits		Legumes
Malus domestica	6 – 29	Trifolium pratense	1 – 34
Ribes nigrum	40 – 29	Trifolium repens	9 – 19
		Trifolium hybridum	0  –  8
Oil plants		Trifolium incarnatum	3 – 14
		Medicago sativa	0 – 68
Brassica napus (*)	50 – 72	Melilotus alba	0  –  6
Brassica napus (**)	35 – 51	Onobrychus viciifolia	0 – 14
Brassica rapa (*)	78 – 89	Vicia villosa	3 – 37
Brassica rapa (**)	39 – 69	Vicia faba	83
Sinapis alba	51 – 75
Helianthus annuus	70 – 86	Further useful plants
Papaver somniferum	49 – 91
		Coriandrum sativum	63
		Fagopyrum esculentum	14 – 53
		Phacelia tanacetifolia	12 – 62

* = winter variety, ** = summer variety

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