At the beginning of each season we offer our bees out as a pollination service.   Our pollination service guarantees the fruit grower the “optimum coverage” of our bees (depending on the acreage of the orchard or soft fruit crop) for effective pollination.  As a result of this targeted approach your fruit yields will increase;  it is not uncommon for yields to increase by as much as 30% in a good season, particularly if the weather and other factors are in our favour (no late frosts or prolonged cold wet periods).

Our Bees

Our bees will be supplied in nucleus colonies (boxes) of 6 frames of bees and will rapidly expand in strength as the early season progresses from flower bud to burst and subsequent fruit pollination. These expanding colonies need as much pollen and nectar as possible.  We site our nucleus colonies strategically around the orchard or site to guarantee maximum coverage for the fruit grower.  Typically this is 1 x colony per 0.5 of an acre.

Once the pollination is complete we will remove the bees and any equipment from the site within a mutually agreed time frame. This will allow the fruit grower to continue to manage the crop with such things as tree/fruit and ground maintenance as well as  spraying (if applicable).

Spraying

If a grower needs to spray or treat the trees or fruit then a 24 hour “advanced notice period” is required to allow us to close up and secure all the colonies prior to any spraying or treatment taking place.  This prevents the loss of any colonies and damage to the bees through pesticide infection as well as mitigating any reduction in yield at the end of the season due to reduced numbers of pollinators.

Our colonies will be sited between the fruit trees or around the edges of the site depending on the weather, prevailing winds and sun rise. Under NO circumstances is any spray to be put on, near to or come into contact with the hives or bees.

Contract Term

The contract term typically lasts for around 3 – 5 weeks depending on the fruit being pollinated and fruit flowering times.  If you are interested in our pollination service please Contact Us.  We will provide you with a pollination contract which sets out in more detail the applicable terms and conditions of supply prior to the placement of any bees on-site.

The cost of each colony – nuc for the pollination period is £25.00.