Subject: Homes Needed for "Shaggy Fuzzyfoot" Bees

From: [email-masked] (Bob Batson)
Date: 1 Apr 1995 20:06:45 GMT

Homes Needed for "Shaggy Fuzzyfoot" Pollinating Bees

  Suzanne Batra at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bee Research
Laboratory (Bldg. 476, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD 20705, phone
301-504-8384) imported some unusual bees from Japan a few years ago and
now has many nests which she wants to give to fruit growers and
beekeepers for field testing. The "gentle" shaggy fuzzyfoot bees live in
adobe blocks and can survive winter temperatures as low as about 20
degrees fahrenheit. They are active only in spring, aggressively
pollinating pome and stone fruits even when honeybees and bumblebees are
still lethargic---even in light rain, which keeps honeybees in their
hives. And they can "buzz-pollinate" (by vibrating their bodies), which
insures more complete pollen transfer and, in turn, higher yields of
blueberries and certain other fruits; honeybees cannot buzz-pollinate.
  If you are interested in experimenting with shaggy fuzzyfoot
pollinating bees, contact Suzanne Batra. You'll need an import permit
from your state agriculture department
  Reference: Anonymous, "`Shaggy Fuzzyfoot' Bees Introduced," _Ag
Consultant_ 51(1), January 1995, 17. (Meister Publishing Co., 37733
Euclid Ave., Willoughby, OH 44094.)
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Bob Batson				L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
[email-masked]			Kansas City
[email-masked]			USDA zone 5
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Under the most controlled conditions, the experimental apparatus will
do exactly as it pleases.