From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Melvindale, MI

Is this common? what about saving the pollen? or should I use fresh?

7/15/2005 10:54:36 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

This is how nature does it. You have a small window of opportunity to control the pollination of about 5 hours. I would use fresh pollen unless there is none available.

7/15/2005 11:06:10 AM

San Luis Obispo Ca

Man! 5 hours! Thats very quick. If you do not have bee's your screwed! Or you must pay attention and do the work yourself.

7/15/2005 12:39:59 PM

Cologne / Germany

I think the 5 hours window is okay for one flower on one day when it opens. In my opinion from 5 to 10 in the morning. Just the best time frame you can get without saying it won´t work around 4 or 11...but in summer that could be too humid or otherwise (later) too hot.
Even the bees seem to have a clock. I always find freshly opened zuccini females with pollen inside when I go out in the morning to do the pollination job. Uncovered males on pumpkins don´t have pollen any more around that time.
My neighbour is a bee farmer and I know they like to get up early and do their job really quick :-)

7/15/2005 2:34:26 PM

Oz

I watched two types of bees strong arm each other in a male flower......(small honey v carpenter bee)

7/15/2005 9:46:13 PM

Melvindale, MI

This morning I went to polinate my first and only flower,when I got there a bee was in the flower. this was about 6:30/6:45am. I was able to get a chunck of pollen to spread around also I had ants inside the flower drinking like there was no tomarrow.

7/18/2005 7:48:17 AM