Pollination Pointers

Apples are now in bloom, and beekeepers have delivered rental hives to orchards to complete the important task of pollination. Did you know these facts about pollination?

• A bloom requires 8 - 24 visits by pollinators.
• Larger apples result when pollen is sourced from more than 1 cultivar.
• Bee pollinators do not generally move across more than 3 - 4 rows.
• Pollen tends to travel only a few trees down the row.

Here are some tips for using honeybees effectively:

• Request strong, healthy colonies. Weak colonies are of little value when it's cool.
• 2 to 3 honeybee colonies per hectare are recommended.
• Protect beehives from cold winds. Group hives in sunny, sheltered locations or behind a wall of straw bales or orchard bins.
• Situate the colonies so that the morning sun warms the entrance.
• Provide fresh water, with some floating sticks to allow bees to land without drowning.
• Avoid contaminated water eg. puddles near your sprayer loading area.

Protect your bees from poisoning. It is an offence under the Bees Act to apply insecticides while fruit trees are in bloom. Here are some other ways to protect bees:

• Give a day's notice to local beekeepers if fields within 1 km require insecticides.
• Do not spray insecticides on any crop where bees are foraging.
• Do not spray insecticides during the day. Bees return to their hives in early evening, so spraying after 7 pm is the safest. Early morning sprays should finish by 7 am.
• Bees do not forage at temperatures below 13ºC.
• Block the hive entrance with wet bags for up to 12 hours after spraying. Leave a space for bees to exit to cool the hive.
• Be aware of cover crops in bloom or with blooming weeds- this is the most common site of bee poisonings.
• Avoid spray drift by avoiding windy days.
• Remove bees ASAP when bloom is finished before applying petal fall sprays.
• Choose insecticides that are less toxic to bees.

Successful pollination is the first step to a good crop. Allow those bees to do their job for you and your neighbours.