Thimblecrest Orchard Co-opHarvest Talk · 2026
A story about pollination
The bees
did it.
How Thimblecrest doubled its apple harvest by renting beehives.
01 · The problemSpring 2021
Plenty of flowers
Blossoms everywhere. Apples, not so much.
Only one blossom in five was setting fruit.
● 4 of 20 blossoms → fruit
02 · The insightWhy it happened
It wasn't the trees
Each blossom gives you three days.
← Pollination window →
BudBloomPetal fall
Not enough bees showed up in time.
03 · The moveSpring 2022
We rented
240
hives for bloom season.
3 wkson site
$85per hive
1beekeeper
04 · HowThree rules
Making the bees count
Make the apples the best option.
01
Hives every 100 metres
Bees forage close to home. Spread them out.
02
Mow the dandelions
No competing flowers on the orchard floor.
03
No spraying in bloom
Protect the workers while they work.
05 · The resultTonnes per hectare
One season later
2×
the apples, same trees.
Hive rental cost under 3% of the added revenue.
18t/ha
2021
37t/ha
2022
The takeaway
Don't plant more trees.
Rent more bees.
Thank you. Questions?
Thimblecrest Orchard Co-op