# Pollination

> Part of: [Crop Protection & Hygiene](/crop-protection.md) · Provider: [DutchGreenhouses](/)

Greenhouse pollination is done by bumblebee hives placed in the crop, because tomato and related flowers release pollen only when vibrated at the right frequency. A colony living permanently in the house then constrains every product applied for the whole season, not just on the day.

## Facts
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Pollinator used under glass | Bumblebee insect |
| Mechanism | Buzz pollination mechanism |
| Hand pollination it replaced | 1000 shakes per hectare per year |
| Colony size at delivery | 70–80 workers |
| Duration of the crop-protection constraint | The whole season period |
| How a spray window is created | Closing the hive mechanism |
| Climate dependence | 2 variables |

Crop protection & hygiene

# Pollination.

    The insect the grower keeps alive sets the limit on everything sprayed.

## The insect kept alive sets the limit on everything sprayed

    A greenhouse excludes insects deliberately and then introduces one on purpose. Tomato and several other fruiting crops are pollinated by bumblebee hives placed in the house, and without them fruit set has to be done by hand — historically with a vibrating wand, plant by plant, at a labour cost that no commercial operation would now accept. The hives are cheap; what they replace is not.

The mechanism is specific to the flower rather than general. A tomato flower holds its pollen inside anthers that release it only when shaken at the right frequency, which a bumblebee does by gripping the flower and vibrating its flight muscles. Honeybees do not perform that behaviour, which is why bumblebees rather than honeybees are standard under glass. The visible bruising a worked flower shows is the grower’s evidence that pollination is happening at all.

The consequence for crop protection is the part most often left out. A colony living permanently in the crop means every product applied has to be compatible with it, so the pollination decision constrains the chemical options for the whole season rather than for the day of application. That constraint pushes hard toward selective products and toward the biological control that IPM prefers anyway — the pollinator and the predator want the same restraint, which is a useful alignment rather than a coincidence.

It also ties pollination to climate. Bumblebee activity depends on temperature and humidity, and a house that is too hot, too still or too dry sees foraging drop before anyone notices the fruit set has, so a pollination problem often turns out to be a climate problem. DutchGreenhouses® designs the climate, screening and crop-protection strategy so the pollinators stay active and the products used stay compatible with them. Get in touch to discuss pollination for your crop.

From the knowledge base

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## FAQ
**Why bumblebees rather than honeybees in a greenhouse?**
Because of how the flower works. A tomato flower holds pollen inside its anthers and releases it only when shaken at the right frequency, which a bumblebee achieves by gripping the flower and vibrating its flight muscles. Honeybees do not perform that behaviour, so they cannot do the job.

**What did bumblebees replace?**
Shaking every plant by hand. The industry estimate for the practice they displaced is on the order of a thousand shakes per hectare per year, done with a vibrating wand plant by plant. It was monotonous, it was expensive, and no commercial operation would return to it.

**How does pollination affect crop protection?**
It constrains it for the whole season. A colony living permanently in the crop means every product applied has to be compatible with it, which pushes hard toward selective products and toward biological control. The pollinator and the predator want the same restraint, so the two strategies reinforce each other.

**Can you still spray with bumblebees in the house?**
Yes, within limits, because the hive can be closed. Separate one-way entry and exit doors let the foragers be shut inside before a treatment and released after it, and modern boxes run that on an astronomical clock rather than by hand. It buys a window; it does not remove the compatibility requirement.

**How does a grower know pollination is working?**
By the flowers. A bumblebee that has worked a flower leaves visible bruising on it, so a walk through the crop shows directly whether the colony is active. Fruit set confirms it later, but the bruising is the earlier signal.

**What makes pollination fail?**
Usually the climate rather than the bees. Foraging activity depends on temperature and humidity, and a house that is too hot, too still or too dry sees activity drop before anyone notices fruit set has fallen. A pollination problem often turns out to be a climate problem.

## Related
[Crop Protection & Hygiene](/crop-protection.md) · [Integrated Pest Management](/crop-protection/integrated-pest-management.md) · [Humidity Control](/climate/humidity-control.md) · [Insect Netting](/greenhouse-construction/insect-netting.md) · [Bumblebee Pollination](/glossary/bumblebee-pollination.md) · [Crop Registration](/glossary/crop-registration.md) · [Plant Load](/glossary/plant-load.md) · [Tomatoes](/vegetables/tomatoes.md)