Buzz-pollinated crop

A crop whose pollen is only released by vibration, which honey bees cannot perform.

Botany

Definition

Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, blueberries, cranberries and kiwifruit all hold pollen in tubular anthers that release it only under vibration. Bumblebees, blue-banded bees and many solitary bees can do this; honey bees cannot. It is the clearest single case where wild bees do work managed bees are physically incapable of.

See also

Other botany terms

Sources

Sources

  • Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food ProductionIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2016) · Systematic review Link
  • The Bees of the WorldJohns Hopkins University Press (2007) · Textbook

How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.

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