Exploring Best Management Practices with Mott’s Growers and the IPM Institute of North America. A sustainability project launched by Keurig Dr. Pepper who houses the apple sauce brand Mott’s has brought us together to collaborate with the IPM Institute of North...
Time to count your native bees in your orchards!!
Apple bee communities: what’s a-buzz in New Hampshire Orchards? What a crazy Spring, eh? I went swimming in the sunshine and then huddled under 3 thick blankets a day later. Hopefully, our native bees are taking it in stride because bloom is here! With blankets across...
How to survey your bees – apple bloom 2018!
Count bees on your apple blossoms NOW! While just before and just after bloom are good bee counting days, peak bloom is the prime time for assessing the contribution of your bees to your orchard. Instructions: Go to the Bee Count page on our website. There you will...
Wild Bees Got Strategy
These native bees got strategy: how native bees deal with weather extremes. All bees have the same goal: To create, protect and nourish their growing eggs, larvae and pupae. Native bee species spend most of their life in their nest and they are small and elusive. ...
Here Comes the Bloom!
Make sure you are ready to do your 5-minute bee observation. Watch closely and you will see bee visitation to your apple flowers steadily increase through peak bloom. Peak bloom is the best time to do your surveys, but a little before or a little after peak is ok too....
2016 Bee Abundance Analyses
Greetings apple growers! We have some fun results to share. This report provides you a description of how we developed our model and a first year evaluation of your native bee community in your orchard. We are happy to find that we have very conclusive data just in...
The New York State Pollinator Protection Plan: What Does This Mean For Apple Growers?
Pollinators, both wild and managed, are essential to the successful production of fruits and vegetables in New York State and across the country. We are happy to announce that New York is one of the first 10 states to officially adopt a Pollinator Protection Plan...
Welcome to Summertime: The Data is In!
We truly appreciate all your participation this past spring in conducting bee surveys using the Smartphone app Survey tool. We gathered substantial data and learned a great deal about how to make the app even better for next year’s apple bloom. Here at NEPP...
Comparing Native Bee vs Honey Bee Effectiveness
We are often asked by apple growers (and the general public) whether wild bees are effective apple pollinators in comparison to honey bees. This is not always an easy question to answer because measuring pollinator importance requires that we quantify two things: (1)...
Where Do Bees Do Winter?
Winter has finally arrived in New York (and the rest of the Northeast). It is hard to imagine how bees – animals that love sun and warmth – are able to survive the cold northern hemisphere winter. Do they go south and spend the winter on a sunny beach in Florida? Or...