With almond harvest nearing completion and orchards transitioning into dormancy, the focus becomes next year’s growing season.
Now is the time to consider planting cover crops in or near your orchards. Planting early is very important, and proper planning is needed to get the best stand possible.
In addition to providing robust food resources for honey bees before and after pollination, growers who plant forage may benefit from a number of other improvements to their orchards, including improved soil fertility, improved water infiltration, improved soil moisture conservation, fixed nitrogen, increased organic material, more beneficial insects and soil stabilization.
Please read the article “Planting Forage Pays Off with Stronger Hives, Enhanced Pollination” to see how another grower has benefited from planting bee forage in and around his orchard.
More than 150 growers have planted 3,000 acres of alternate honey bee food sources because they believe it will benefit bees when they are in the orchard for pollination, and what’s good for the bees is good for the pollination of the almond crop. Although this is a relatively new practice for most almond growers, it makes sense to talk it over with your beekeepers to see if it might be mutually beneficial.
Sincerely,
Joe MacIlvaine, Chairman
Production Research Committee
