Bees and Pollination at Weaver’s Orchard

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen to the pistil of the flower. Plants are usually pollinated by insects, wind and to a lesser extent by water and small animals such as mice, bats and birds (e.g. the hummingbird). In some plants it occurs within the same flower, other plants it is between different flowers on the same plant, or between different plants. In the past, when naturally occurring pollinators were abundant, pollination was taken for granted.

A continent wide decrease in the wild honeybee population has changed the situation dramatically. Many are finding diminished size in the fruit they grow, and that the number of fruit or vegetables per plant is reduced as well. In most cases, this can be directly attributed to the lack of proper pollination.

At Weaver’s Orchard, we rely heavily on honeybees and bumblebees to pollinate the fruit we grow. These two insects can be used together if their hives are placed at the proper distances apart to prevent the honeybee hives from raiding the bumblebee’s nests. Each spring the beekeeper brings in honeybees and we purchase hives of bumblebees to be strategically placed in the orchard for proper pollination. These hives can be moved from one location to another for use with multiple crops.

The bumblebee is a native to the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains and will not impact naturally occurring pollinators and insects. Because the bumblebee has a wider range of temperatures and conditions in which it will forage it is a good companion to the honeybee.

The honeybee serves a dual purpose here at Weaver's Orchard. First and foremost, they aide in the pollination of our crops, however, they also produce honey which is collected by a beekeeper, processed along with honey from other local hives, and then sold here in our market.