How to rent bee hives to pollinate apple orchards

Apple growers have a greater rate of pollination by using bees to pollinate apple trees.

Most apple varieties are self-sterile, which means that the pollen they produce will not fertilize the blossoms they produce. Because of this, apple growers must plant at least one variety of another type of apple tree in order to produce a crop of apples. Crab apple trees are a popular choice for fertilizing apple orchards and backyard trees because they are compatible with all other types of apple trees. Wind action will not help to cross-pollinate apple trees. Instead, apple growers must rely on insects to pollinate apple trees. Many beekeepers rent bee hives to apple growers to pollinate apple trees.

Instructions

1. Contact your local commercial beekeepers to ask about renting bee hives. Beekeepers who rent bee hives often list their services under the words "beekeeping" or "apiary." Alternately, your county extension service or farmer's cooperative might have a list of beekeepers who rent bee hives for pollination purposes.

2. Ask the beekeeper if they provide a pollination contract. Most commercial beekeepers provide pollination contracts before renting bee hives. The contracts protect the beekeeper and the apple grower by explaining the responsibilities of both parties.

3. Examine the beekeeper's responsibilities listed in the contract before signing. All pollination contracts should outline the number of hives that the beekeeper and the orchard grower have agreed will be provided, as well as the fee for these colonies. The contract should outline the minimum strength of the bee colonies provided, the date the colonies will be moved into the orchard and the placement of the bee colonies. Apple orchards generally need one to two hives per acre. Beekeepers typically rent a minimum of four hives per rental. These hives may be placed anywhere in an orchard but always are clustered in groups of four so that stronger hives spur weaker ones into activity. Hive strength should be guaranteed at a minimum of six frames of bee brood, which are bees in egg form in the honeycomb frames. Hive strength also is measured at 20,000 adult bees. The amount of time that a grower rents a hive for should be listed in terms of the number of days above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, when bees are most active, rather than in terms of a set number of days. Hives typically are placed within two days of the day that the king blossoms open. The king blossoms are the largest blossoms in a blossom cluster. When they are pollinated, they set the largest fruit.

4. Read over the responsibilities of the grower carefully before agreeing to the terms of the contract. The contract should list any deposits and a schedule of payment fees and deadlines, terms of pesticide use while bees are in the orchard, as well as fees paid to the beekeeper for bee loss due to pesticide use. The contract also should inform the beekeeper of how to access the land to place the hives.

5. Look for details that outline water placement for the hive. Water sources should be placed within 100 yards of a hive. Bees use water to dilute stored honey to feed to larvae in the hive. Bees that have nearby water sources will spend their time pollinating the orchard blossoms rather than searching for water.

6. Sign the contract, and pay any required deposit.

Tips & Warnings

• Hanging buckets of crab apple boughs in the branches of apple trees during pollination time helps with the pollination process, especially as a substitute in orchards where there are no crab apple or other compatible trees planted for cross-pollination.

• According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the price to rent a single hive varies based on the availability of the bees and the demand for bee hives. The average price to rent a single hive to pollinate an apple orchard in 2003 was about $45. In 2011, the estimated cost to rent a hive is around $75. This is due to a massive decline in bee populations due to disease.

References

• NC State University Extension: N.C. Apple Production Manual; John T. Ambrose
• University of Delaware Cooperative Extension: Pollination; Dewey M. Caron; April,9, 1999
• University of Missouri Extension: Pollinating Fruit Crops; Michele R. Warmund; November, 2002
• United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Center: Blue Orchard Bee; April 16 2009

Resources

• University of California: Bee hives targeted by thieves