Pumpkins, Blueberries, Apples, most fruit trees and many more rely on honey bees for pollination. Some crops rely on bees more then others. Having more bees available to pollinate improves the number and quality of fruits produced.

The window of pollination for most crops is usually only a couple weeks depending on the crop. During that short time frame it is important to have an adequate number of honey bees available to ensure good pollination happens.

To increase their yields, farmers rent honey bee hives during crop flowering season. Each colony of bees contains about 40,000 bees.

We charge $80 - $100 per hive depending on how far we have to travel, how easy access is, risk of loss due to pesticide spray, etc. Price includes hive management, delivery and pickup.

For most crops, one hive per acre is usually enough. If you are growing a high value crop and you want to ensure your fruit set will be high, you may want to use more hives per acre.

If early pollination is the goal then more hives per acre is more important. Bees don’t come out of their hive if the temperature is below 50°, wind is more than 20mph or if it is raining. When a day comes along with good weather, the sheer number of bees pollinating on the few good days are often enough to make up for the lost time.

Pumpkins, cucumbers, squash, melons and other cucurbits: USDA recommends 1 hive per acre.

Apple, peach, pears and other fruit trees: USDA recommends 2 hives per acre.

Blueberry: USDA recommends 3 hives per acre