Description:

A fewvarieties of cucumber are parthenocarpic, the blossoms creatingseedless fruit without pollination. Pollination for thesevarieties degrades the quality. In the United States, these areusually grown in greenhouses,where bees are excluded. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in someregions, and bees are excluded from these areas. Most cucumbervarieties, however, are seeded and require pollination. Thousandsof hives of honey bees areannually carried to cucumber fields just before bloom for thispurpose. Cucumbers may also be pollinated by bumblebees and several other beespecies.

Symptomsof inadequate pollination include fruit abortion and misshapenfruit. Partially pollinated flowers may develop fruit which aregreen and develop normally near the stem end, but pale yellow andwithered at the blossom end.

Traditionalvarieties produce male blossoms first, then female, in aboutequivalent numbers. New gynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all femaleblossoms. However, since these varieties do not providepollen, they must have apollenizer varietyinterplanted, and the number of beehives per unit area isincreased. Insecticideapplications for insect pests must be done very carefully to avoidkilling off the insect pollinators.