Flowering & fruit
Pollination and bees
Getting good fruit set starts with bees.
Relevant stages: Pink Bud, Flowering.
- Place 3 to 4 bee hives per hectare at 5 to 10% bloom, per the SKUAST guide.
- Mow weeds during flowering so bees stay on the trees.
- Avoid spraying fungicides in dry weather during flowering, and never spray insecticides on open blossoms.
- Apples need only a small share of flowers (roughly 2 to 5% per tree) to be pollinated to set a full crop, but cold, wet weather cuts bee flight, so have strong hives ready.
- Provide clean water near the hives.
- Move hives out before heavy spraying after petal fall.
General guidance. Always read product labels and consult an agronomist for problems specific to your orchard.
