Bees are required for pollination, without them majority of the fruit and vegetables we enjoy today would not be available or would be in very limited supply.
Certain fruit and vegetables are more dependent on pollination than others, Almonds and Blueberries are highly dependent on bee pollination. Without bees some plants would not produce any seeds for next years crop.
Many orchards require hundreds or even thousands of beehives for pollination, almond pollination in Robinvale requires 145,000 beehives in 2014 and this will only grow each year. Those hives are supplied by commercial beekeepers and delivered in lots of hundreds to the farms on semi trailers. This has to happen in a very short time, the almond blossom finishes four weeks after it start. There are plenty of smaller orchards who require a much smaller number of hives , this is where we may be able to assist with our Pollination Service.
Below are some of the fruits, nuts and vegetables that require pollination by bees.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Capsicum
Onion
Celery
Carrot
Pumpkin
Apricot
Blueberries
Plum
Mango
Peach
Avocado
Lemon/Lime
Melon
Kiwi Fruit
Macadamia
Almonds
We can provide bees for crop pollination to Orchards and Growers, provided your crop or seed has not been treated with neonicotinoids (products based on Imidacloprid or similar nasties).
Depending on the time of the year, hives do require preparation for best pollination results, we therefore require at least three weeks notice for our pollination service. To protect our bees we have to insist on your agreement to our strict guidelines regarding the use of chemicals prior to and during the pollination period which are set out in our pollination service contract.
Our pollination fee is charged per beehive, along with a delivery fee.