Pollinators:
Bumblebees
Bumblebee
box
Danger to crops:
Aphids
(1)
Aphids
(2)
Butterflies/
Moths
Leaf
miners
Mealy
bugs
Nematodes
Sciarid
flies
Soil
infestations
Spider
Thrips
Whiteflies
New accommodations for BioPol bumblebees
BioPol has marketed the
well-known white-green bumblebee box; virtually entirely
made out of cardboard. Prior to this, the bumblebees were
delivered in wooden boxes. However, the bumblebees have
now found their third new home in a new type of bumblebee
box.
Photograph: New Bumblebee Box
The main difference compared with the ‘old’ bumblebee box is the hive (the inner box) itself, since the hive is made entirely of plastic. Particularly the increased sales of colonies was what prompted us to develop the new box. With a view to the production process, the new box yields significant savings in labour.
Obviously, the new box should at least meet the same quality requirements, preferably adding additional benefits.
Critical assessment was therefore conducted to signal every opportunity for improvement. Particularly the bumblebee droppings in the hive presented concerns with respect to contamination. Although there is no evidence to suggest that droppings in the hive are harmful to the development of bumblebees, it seemed that this area presented an opportunity for improvement.
The new hive was therefore designed to incorporate grooves around the hive floor. This keeps the colony clean, so that they enter the casing (the outside box) in a clean state.
Furthermore, it may occur – especially in summery conditions – that the temperature in the colony rises to less desirable levels. Particularly in export countries in the Mediterranean. In order to prevent this in the future, the box was designed with a larger number of ventilation holes all around, while white was again selected as the key colour, as it reflects more light. It is important, however, to ensure that the colonies are exposed to as little draught as possible.
The openings in the box that the bees can use to fly in and out were changed as well. A small plastic slide valve on the side of the box serves to close these openings. If you slide it to the right, the bumblebees can fly in and out. Whenever you want to ‘collect’ the bumblebees, you can slide the valve to the left to ensure that the bumblebees can enter, but cannot leave the box. The former version had fly-in and fly-out openings in front of the colony. As the valve is now placed at the side of the colony, this allows for larger numbers of colonies to be placed side by side on the tube in the greenhouse.
The dimensions and the appearance
of the box were equally subjected to change; the box is
now wider and less tall, resulting in logistic
advantages. And finally, the new, brightly coloured
design adds new appeal to the box.