Stingerless bees for pollinations

[Walt]

As a child and young man I kept bees.  I like them and I like honey.  But my citrus "orchard" is on the edge of town ad bees close to a population of humans seems a bad idea.  I know at least one neighbor who is allergic.  So I'm thinking of buying a start of  native stingerless bees.  I know that some temperate zone fruit orchards are using them with good results.  Are they being used successfully with citrus and other fruits?
And as a breeder who wants masses of crosses, I'd like bees to do some of my work for me.

[Unicyclemike]

I am a beekeeper also.  I have a neighbor whose  house if 17 feet from mine...They do not even know I have bees.  A lot of ways to protect neighbors while beekeeping is controlling the bee's flight path....I was in Manhattan NYC and down at the Staten Island Ferry there was a Langstroth beehive about 200 yds from it...

Unicycle Mike

[pagnr]

Australia has native stingless bees and also Blue Banded Bees which are often seen pollinating Solanums in Gardens.
There was some talk of introducing Bumblebees from USA for glasshouse pollination, but that was rejected on Environmental grounds.
After a recent outbreak of Varroa mite and a Hive movement ban, alternatives to Honeybees have been suggested including Flies which are very efficient pollinators.
Do Bumblebees pollinate Citrus ?

[Balance]

An alternative to buying bees, you could instead look into mixing native wildflowers into your orchard, and provide "housing" in the form of bee blocks: https://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-build-a-bee-block/
For a sustainable and native solution!

[Walt]

Adding wild flower is a good idea.  But the town has been spraying for mosquitos for so many years that bringing in pollinaters is also a good idea,  Preferably native species that might become re established in the area.  An idea I just had istoget a hive and keep it most of the year on a nearby ranch.  Bring it to the orchard (breeding area) during bloom and moving it back for the rest of the year,  But I'd have to check what is being sprayed on the ranch land,  Aerial spraying is a big industry here,

[poncirsguy]

I have seen bumble bees on my citrus flowers many times.

[tedburn]

Question to the bee experts - on my citrus I have also a lot of bees in all kinds, but I noticed quite a few honey bees dead around ma blomsweet ? Could it be that some citrus flowers could be hazardous or toxic for bees ?

[Balance]

Question to the bee experts - on my citrus I have also a lot of bees in all kinds, but I noticed quite a few honey bees dead around ma blomsweet ? Could it be that some citrus flowers could be hazardous or toxic for bees ?

I wouldn't think the flower's themselves would be inherently toxic, a cursory google search doesn't show anything regarding toxicity of citrus or citrus flowers towards bees. I'd imagine there are other factors at play, perhaps residual pesticides.

[tedburn]

Thank you, so perhaps it was only unlucky circumstances that there have been sone dead bees in my bloomsweet and not caused by my plant, si I' m happy, because my citrus blooming attract realy a lot of honey, bumble bees and other flying insects.

[DwayneHopkins]

I've heard they're doing wonders in temperate zone orchards, so they might just be the ticket for your citrus grove.
As for your breeding ambitions, having bees do some of the cross-pollination work sounds like a brilliant plan. Nature really is the best collaborator sometimes!
Reminds me of a time when I tried to grow strawberries in my backyard. Bees just couldn't resist them, which was great for pollination but not so great for me trying to enjoy a snack without competition. Learning how to keep bees away naturally became part of my gardening journey, and it's amazing what a few strategic plantings can do.

[Walt]

But bees don't keep records of their pollinations.