FAQ's About Our Farm

Frequently Asked Questions


Why do you have bee hives throughout the 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 right here in our market!

How do you protect your fruit from insects and diseases?

Weaver’s Orchard is committed to following an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program. IPM in a nutshell is the use of several pest control methods in a way which compliments biological and natural controls of pests. We always keep in mind our economical, public health, and environmental goals. IPM practices include scouting, pest trapping, pest resistant plant varieties, sanitation, cultural control methods (i.e. Keeping the orchard mowed to cut down on additional habitat for pests), physical and mechanical controls, biological controls, precise timing and application of any needed pesticides.

With IPM, a decision to use pesticides is made when the population of that pest reaches numbers that would be detrimental to the quality of that crop and no other alternative management practices are available that would provide effective control. When pesticides are needed, we follow the recommendations made by Penn State and adhere to all label requirements and restrictions. The goals of IPM are to achieve the effective management of pests in the safest manners.

What is CA storage and how does it work?

Many of our apples are picked at the peak of perfection, and immediately sent to a controlled atmosphere (CA) storage facility. They are then kept in airtight storage rooms, where the temperature is kept at or slightly below freezing, and natural gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide are closely monitored to specific levels. This maximizes the holding capabilities of our apples, and also holds back the levels of ethylene gas (a natural gas which apples produce). Ethylene gas continues the ripening process to where apples lose flavor and crispness. The use of CA storage does not improve the quality of our apples; it just preserves that harvest time flavor and crispness so you can enjoy that fall snap and flavor throughout the spring and summer.

What are High Tunnels, and what are their benefits?

We grow strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, cherries, blueberries and flowers in high tunnels in addition to in our fields.

In the spring of 2003, we erected our first high tunnels. That block consisted of three tunnels covering 1/6 of an acre. Then, in 2004, we erected three other blocks of tunnels on strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and raspberries. Currently, we have about 5 acres of product protected by the high tunnel.

High tunnels protect our crops from frost and freezing at bloom time. By covering the sides of the tunnels with plastic, we can raise the temperature noticeably.

By increasing the average temperature in the tunnels, the fruit ripens faster and allows for an earlier harvest.

During the season, netting is pulled over the structure to prevent birds from entering, therefore protecting our crops from bird damage.

Cherries are extremely susceptible to excess water around harvest time - if even a single heavy shower hits, entire crops can be lost. With plastic covering the trees in our high tunnel, they are protected from water damage.

Even small amounts of moisture can cause raspberries to rot once the berries are ripe. High Tunnels prevent rotting from taking place.