Pollination using honey bees | AgGuide

Successful pollination is essential for many agricultural and horticultural enterprises. Pollination Using Honey Bees provides practical guidance for growers, beekeepers and agricultural advisers on achieving reliable pollination outcomes through effective honey bee management and crop planning.

Written by experienced industry specialists, this comprehensive guide explains how honey bees contribute to crop production and outlines the key factors that influence pollination success, including hive strength, stocking rates, timing, orchard design, bee nutrition and pesticide management.

Who this guide is for

• Commercial and recreational beekeepers providing pollination services
• Orchard and horticultural crop producers
  
• Agricultural advisers and consultants
• Students and educators studying beekeeping, pollination or crop production

What you'll learn

• How honey bees contribute to crop pollination
• Recommended stocking rates for more than 60 plant species
• How to assess hive strength and colony health
• Best practice hive placement and management
• Pollination standards and industry requirements
• How pesticides can affect pollination outcomes
• Orchard design factors that support pollination
• Managing bees in netted and protected cropping systems
• Post-pollination hive management practices
• Creating pollination agreements between growers and beekeepers

This publication brings together practical advice for both growers and beekeepers, helping each understand their role in achieving successful pollination. It includes detailed crop-specific recommendations, business agreement templates and standard operating procedures that can be applied directly in commercial operations.

Whether you are supplying pollination services or relying on honey bees to improve crop yields, this guide is an invaluable resource for improving pollination outcomes and strengthening grower-beekeeper relationships.

Order your copy today and gain practical, evidence-based guidance on managing honey bees for effective crop pollination.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Safety for personnel
• Floral structure
• Agents of pollination
• Honey bee colonies
• Size of the operation
• Nutrition for bees
• Health problems
• Pesticides
• Stock selection
• Hive strength
• Pollination standards
• Orchard design and management
• Managing hives on the crop
• Netting and glass houses
• Post-pollination hive management
• Contracts and agreements
• The bee broker
• Appendix 1: Sample pollination agreement
• Appendix 2: Individual crops
• Appendix 3: Standard operation procedure (SOP)