Do-It-Yourself Pollinator
Bill Whaley’s VegiBee Garden Pollinator is popular with gardeners and large commercial growers alike. He says customers report 30 to 50 percent increases in yield. Available in 2 models, the electric toothbrush-like tool imitates the high frequency vibrations of a bee’s wings, causing blossoms to release pollen.
“You can use a collection spoon to gather the pollen and then hand pollinate flowers in a home garden,” says Whaley. “The other way is to vibrate the flower, moving the pollen into the environment where it has a chance of settling on the female part of the flower.”
He reports that large commercial growers sometimes use fans and leaf blowers to get pollen moving in greenhouses. Commercial electric pollinating wands are a more controlled alternative, but they can cost up to $300.
Whaley says he developed the VegiBee out of frustration with his own vegetable garden. The declining number of pollinators was affecting yield, but he couldn’t justify a commercial pollinator. When he developed his prototype, his yields increased 38 percent.
“I harvested 800 tomatoes from less than 20 plants,” he says. “When I started selling it for gardeners, I was surprised to get orders from university researchers and commercial growers. I have customers with up to 2,000 tomato plants using them.”
Price is a big reason. Whaley sells a 1-speed, battery-powered unit for $29.99. The 5-speed rechargeable VegiBee sells for $49.99. It comes with operating instructions for optimum speeds for different plants.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, VegiBee.com, P.O. Box 1352, Maryland Heights, Mo. 63043 (ph 855 223-7045; bill@vegibee.com; www.vegibee.com).
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Do-It-Yourself Pollinator CROPS Miscellaneous Bill Whaley’s VegiBee Garden Pollinator is popular with gardeners and large commercial growers alike He says customers report 30 to 50 percent increases in yield Available in 2 models the electric toothbrush-like tool imitates the high frequency vibrations of a bee’s wings causing blossoms to release pollen “You can use a collection spoon to gather the pollen and then hand pollinate flowers in a home garden ” says Whaley “The other way is to vibrate the flower moving the pollen into the environment where it has a chance of settling on the female part of the flower ” He reports that large commercial growers sometimes use fans and leaf blowers to get pollen moving in greenhouses Commercial electric pollinating wands are a more controlled alternative but they can cost up to $300 Whaley says he developed the VegiBee out of frustration with his own vegetable garden The declining number of pollinators was affecting yield but he couldn’t justify a commercial pollinator When he developed his prototype his yields increased 38 percent “I harvested 800 tomatoes from less than 20 plants ” he says “When I started selling it for gardeners I was surprised to get orders from university researchers and commercial growers I have customers with up to 2 000 tomato plants using them ” Price is a big reason Whaley sells a 1-speed battery-powered unit for $29 99 The 5-speed rechargeable VegiBee sells for $49 99 It comes with operating instructions for optimum speeds for different plants Contact: FARM SHOW Followup VegiBee com P O Box 1352 Maryland Heights Mo 63043 ph 855 223-7045; bill@vegibee com; www vegibee com
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