How many hives should I expect to use per acre for good pollination?
pollination
How many hives should I expect to use per acre for good pollination?
Hmmmmmmmm
Hmmmmmm. I see no answers yet. Good question. I'd like to know too. I have 12 acres with a small orchard and this year had 5 hives. We had a good crop this year. But what is the answer to Merlyn Votaw's question???
2 or 3 Hives
On average it seems most need 2 some more others less. Here is a link that may help in what you are looking for. http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/
Lots of variables. Depends how strong your hives are; what is the crop; are there other things more attractive to the bees then the blooms on the corp that are available; etc.
General rule is two per acre but that varies, the link Mathis provided is pretty good.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.” John Wayne
If you go to Bee Culture's website (www.beeculture.com), you can click on McGregor's Handbook of Pollination. It has a break down by crop, even telling you which crops/fruits/vegetables benefit from bee pollination. It has optimum ranges for number of hives per acre, etc. Hope that helps.
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