This is a photo of a bumblebee house. It’s a quad complex containing 4 separate bumblebee colonies. These are great for pollinating produce in back yard gardens. This particular quad complex is being used in addition to several honeybee hives for pollinating a field of blueberry bushes.
Image from article “Urban Beekeeping Culture” by Samantha Donaldson Many benefits arise from hobbyist beekeepers. Honey bees are vital for the survival of many fruits nuts and seeds that are essential for much of the wildlife. At the same time, honey bees pollinate a number of native and exotic plants and crops that are important […]
Based on a study of the figures published by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the USDA, interviews with beekeepers and researchers we estimate that there were 2,500,000 colonies rented for pollination purposes in 1998. This is up from 2,032,000 in 1989, representing a 22.8% increase. Most of this increase is explained by two phenomena. […]