Bees and Berries Blog

Jackie Perkins and Rufus Isaacs During blueberry harvest, we see fields filled with blueberries weighing down the shoots of bushes. But how did those berries develop through the season, and what is the role of pollinators in berry development? Bees are essential for helping these fruits grow into harvestable berries. During bloom, bees need to […]

In today’s post, we go back to the basics of honey bees. First, we explore the honey bee colony: what it is, how it works, and who’s inside. Then, we discuss the deployment of hives on-farm. Pollinators, such as bees, wasps, flies, and other insects and small animals are essential to crop production. Bees are […]

Bumble bees are efficient pollinators of blueberry and outperform honey bees at the individual level. So, the use of managed species in the western US is a good thing, right? This article summarizes the promises and potential pitfalls of managed bumble bees.

Over the last decade we have seen major advances in blueberry breeding, horticulture, and pest management, but the extension recommendations for pollination have not kept pace with these advances. This project aims to develop modern pollination recommendations and decision support tools by combining expertise from applied entomology, apiculture, horticulture, breeding, economics, and meteorology We will […]