Bumble bees provide the best method of pollination, according to Roger Boer of Koppert Biological Systems.
Boer told delegates that bumble bees were far superior to other pollinating insects, such as honey bees, for several reasons.
“They are very fast workers, visiting twice as many flowers per minute as honey bees,” said Boer.
“They can carry larger loads because of their size and can often achieve better contact with stamens. And unlike honey bees, which wait for the sun, bumble bees are not dependent on climactic conditions,” he added.
“They are still active at relatively low temperatures, and low light intensity levels, and bumble bees will fly in winds of 70km per hour whereas honey bees can only manage 30km per hour.
“Another important advantage of the bumble bee is the absence of a communication system. Because honey bees inform each other of the presence of an attractive food source outside the crop, such as dandelions, they may all decide to leave the crop. But bumble bees don’t have any such system of communication.”
In addition, bumble bees are not so much tied to a specific area in the crop, which is particularly shown in fruit crops.
They change more easily than honey bees, which benefits cross-pollination, he added.
Boer highlighted that with the launch of its Tripol hive, Koppert could provide growers with the extra assurance of achieving successful pollination. Tripol is the company’s latest design in natural pollination under its Natupol brand.
With three times as many workers, in tests on cherries and apples, pollination using Tripol had proven to be approximately 35 per cent higher than unaided pollination.
Koppert is also responsible for producing many other forms of Integrated Pest Management and invests in continual research at its headquarters in Berkel in Rodenrijs.
Last year, the company introduced Aphelinus mali as a specific parasite to conquer woolly aphid, which has become a serious problem in more than a third of apple orchards in the Netherlands.
The company had good results with the product in trials in Germany and are hopeful Aphelinus mali will gain increasing popularity.
Koppert’s latest innovation is an anti-microbial system, temporarily named LP, which is still in its infancy stages.
“The first target being tested is powdery mildew,” said Boer. “It is only curative not preventative, but it kills spores, cells and mycelium and it should be possible to produce as a fungicide, bactericide or disinfectant.
“This year we will be applying for registration for the LP system. At the moment we are looking at post-harvest application.”
He added: “We have already been using it on our own crops here for six years, we have had good results with strawberries and it is very easy to use.”
He said Koppert is hoping to get EU approval this year.”
No comments yet