In Oregon, 56,000 commercial bee colonies pollinate cherries, blueberries and other crops.
In Oregon, 56,000 commercial bee colonies pollinate cherries, blueberries and other crops.
“It’s huge, it’s everything,” says fourth-generation cherry grower Brenda Thomas, president of Orchard View Farms in The Dalles. “We count on the bees.”
Beekeepers benefit as well. A 2009 Bee Pollination Economics Survey estimated Northwest beekeepers may gross $90 million in hive rental income annually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture survey estimated the average fee at $89 per hive, with many crops requiring two per acre.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
{biztweet}oregon bee{/biztweet}
