bees

Blueberries and Bees, UF Scientists Play Matchmaker

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Pollinators, Research, Specialty Crops

(UF/IFAS) — Chew on this the next time you eat a blueberry: Every single blueberry is the result of a flower that was pollinated by a bee. In other words: no buzz, no berry. With that in mind, it’s no wonder blueberry growers bring in hives of honey bees or bumble bees when their blueberry bushes are in flower. “We …

spring crop damage

Agri View: Spring Crop Damage

Dan Agri View, Fruits

  Everett Griner talks about spring brings more bad weather, and damage, to the fruit crops in today’s Agri View.   Spring is always a welcomed time of year for everybody. But the final days of winter were another costly period for farmers. Especially in the southeast. One of the coldest nights came on March 16th. Just a few days …

predators

Bumblebees Boost Blueberry Yield

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

by Brad Buck, University of Florida/IFAS Bumblebees can boost blueberry yield by 70 percent, good news for Florida growers in the heart of their blueberry season, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows. The news also accentuates the need for blueberry pollinators, said Joshua Campbell, a post-doctoral researcher in the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department. …