A lot of bees and a little chicken

Apples, sweet cherries, blueberries, peaches, and, of course, cranberries are among the many crops for which colonies of honeybees are typically rented while the crop is in bloom. Pollinators, such as honeybees, bumblebees, and wild bees, carry grains of pollen from the male parts of a flower (the anthers) to the female parts of a flower (the stigma). When the pollen reaches the stigma, seeds develop and then become fruit.

We have the beekeepers place their colonies throughout the farm, usually along the edges of intersections of the dams that separate our bogs. Different growers use different densities of honeybees, but our rule of thumb is to use about two colonies per acre. The bees start coming in early June and will be removed around the fourth of July.

We go out and walk the bogs to observe and measure bee activity, and I have no problem walking around in the vines while the bees are there. However, I would very much like to photograph some bees in action, but to get close enough I'd have to lie down in the bog--and I just know I'd end up getting stung! So far this year I've chickened out photographically and this is what I've got:

Our esteemed colleagues in Massachusetts at the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association have an excellent slideshow that makes up for my cowardice.