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Bumble Bee Release Instructions
• Place the garden hive 0.5 to 1 meter above the ground, in a place that is protected against sun and condensation/rainwater. During the winter period, placement in the sun may be desirable. Do not place the garden hive among foliage!
• The garden hive should be placed on a sturdy support, about 50 cm above the ground; in spring in a sunny place, and later in the season in the shade.
• Secure the hive so that ants cannot enter it.
• After placement of the hive, let the bumble bees settle down for a while (1/2 - 1 hour) before opening the flight hole.
• If the crop is located in glasshouses or tunnels, open the flight hole of the garden hive when the ventilation windows are closed (at the end of the afternoon). This will prevent the bumble bees from going outside the glasshouse during their orientation flights and not returning to the hive.
• In general, bumble bees are most active in the morning and in the afternoon. Their activity also depends on the flowering pattern of the crop.
• Following their initial orientation flights the bumble bees will immediately start pollinating the crop.
• Bumble bees are active at temperatures between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius. They function best at temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Crop Protection
• Combining the use of bumble bees with beneficial insects does not present any problems.
• Agricultural chemicals may have direct or indirect effects on the bumble bees. Direct effects occur when worker bees and larvae die as a result of contact with or digestion of a chemical product, and indirect effects occur when the smell of the treated flower puts off the bumble bees, causing visits to stop.
• Systemic pesticides (pesticides that are absorbed through the roots) often have a long-lasting residual effect. If a flower produces nectar in addition to pollen (e.g. sweet pepper), the damage to the bumble bee population may be much more serious than in a crop that only produces pollen (e.g. tomato).
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