Improving spatial arrangement of honeybee colonies to avoid pollination shortfall and depressed fruit set

摘要

Pollination shortfalls affect yield of many crops, and the use of managed honeybee colonies is a common practice for addressing the problem. However, colony density and arrangement strategies are not generally based on replicated scientific trials, so there is considerable uncertainty regarding effectiveness of different practices. We address this problem with experiments in almond orchards in south-east Australia, considering impacts on honeybee pollen foraging and fruit set.