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Old June 13, 2017   #10
BigVanVader
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
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[QUOTE=ako1974;646887]
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Originally Posted by BigVanVader View Post
yes & yes

Typically early in the season the pollination is low b/c bees are nearing extinction.

BVV - so you're saying this squash - and other similar types - are failing with increasing frequency across the board because honey bees and other pollinators are less available? Home gardens and commercial?
Yes. Commercial growers either raise bees specifically to make sure they get good pollination or "rent" them as needed. Several species of bees are endangered now and populations have dropped by as much as 97% for some species of bumblebees. Most of the population of honey bees left are "farm bees" which are typically unhealthy and unsustainable because they dont get a good mixture of pollen and are exposed to more pesticides.

I have had poor pollination early season the last two years on my squash. Hardly see any bees till June here. The Zika panic last year wiped out a lot too. I'm sure big pharma was smiling about that. Spraying like that happened all over SC. The guy I got my honey from for years, all his bees dead in a day. That happened to countless beekeepers, and whats worse is the gov tried to deny it. Sometimes it seems human stupidity is the most powerful force of nature.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.fbcd5b9e33cd
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