Bumblebees are the most important pollinators in greenhouse crops. Bumblebee rearing is one of the techniques developed by bees@wur. Commercial bumblebee rearing is currently carried out by professional companies. Bees@wur is currently, upon request of the bumblebee rearing companies, involved in rearing improvement and fundamental disease research. Strategic research into the rearing of other bumblebee species than Bombus terrestris is carried out as well.
The Netherlands is the largest exporter of reared bumblebee colonies in the world. Keeping diseases out is an essential condition for healthy bumblebee rearing. Bees@wur has much expertise in the field of bumblebee diseases and contributes to the scientific knowledge about this subject. In 2006, e.g., an international study was completed about Nosema bombi, one of the most important bumblebee diseases.
Knowledge transfer is another aspect of our work. Workshops covering the subject are organized upon request of bumblebee rearing companies and foreign research institutes.