Pollination using honey bees

Beekeepers and growers of horticultural crops, broadacre crops and pastures all benefit from bees visiting flowers. this book informs the beekeeper about preparing and maintaining bees so that they are fit for the pollination task and informs the grower about creating an environment for best results. It describes the specific bee stocking rate required for more than sixty plant species and includes a section on making a business agreement between grower and beekeeper.

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)