3 September 2026
Bumblebees are in trouble in North America. Since the beginning of this century the American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) has declined 90%, the western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) has declined 93%, and the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) is now listed as Critically Endangered. Their absence has important implications for our food supply.
Flowers in the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes and tobacco) are “perfect” in that they contain both male and female parts and could theoretically self pollinate, but the male parts are tightly closed so the pollen cannot come out. These flowers rely on vibration to jiggle the anthers and release the pollen. Honeybees can’t help. Bumblebees know how to do it.
Notice how tightly closed the anthers are in these tomato and eggplant flowers.
Deep Look shows how a bumblebee vibrates the flowers.
If the flower isn’t pollinated there will be no fruit — no tomato, pepper or eggplant. However gardeners, farmers and greenhouse keepers can hand pollinate by mimicking bumblebees.
The humans should vibrate the plants in early or mid-morning when the flowers are fully open and the air is dry. They should repeat the process every 2 to 3 days using one of these techniques:
- Tapping the flowers on the back of open flower clusters,
- Gently shaking the entire plant via main stem, stake or cage, or
- Holding the back of an Electric Toothbrush against the flower stem for a few seconds.
It’s better to rely on bumblebees. We just need more of them.
I recently watched small bumblebees working on my bottle gentian flowers. They flew from blossom to blossom until they found one they could pry apart. The bee almost completely disappeared inside the flower!
I grew indoor tomatoes last winter using the electric toothbrush trick. Worked great!