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Monday, 28 June 2021

Leave it to the bees

Each section of the Confederation Trail we cycle has items of interest, like on our recent ride from Mount Stewart to Morell in eastern Prince Edward Island. With the Hillsborough River in the distance, you travel past fields of crops and hay, rivers and conservation areas. Curiosity alone compelled us to cycle round that next turn.





Stopping at this field, a type we hadn’t seen before, we speculated about what was happening there and on similar ones in the area. 




Then we saw the bee hives.





Of course! Wild blueberry fields managed by growers.  


Every year this time, wild blueberry growers rent bees/hives to ensure the fertilization of the blueberry blossoms. The honey bees are enlisted to assist island bees at the work. 





The berry blooms have a two week window and there’s lots of pollination to do in that short time.


With enough rain, there should be a good crop of the deep blue berries this year. Yummy!



31 comments:

DJan said...

I love blueberries and raspberries very much! Thanks for showing the bee industry at work. :-)

William Kendall said...

A good idea.

Rhodesia said...

What a great idea to rent beehives (with bees) to do the pollination for you. I suspect that most of our pollination is done by hoverflies though we always have hundreds of them. Have a good week, Diane

Debra She Who Seeks said...

And I bet they're all hard workers!

Beside a babbling brook... said...

Excellent plan...

😎 😎 😎 😎

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Where would we be without bees? A lot hungrier I suspect.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
It is nice that the bees help fertilize the blueberry fields.
Do they make honey from the bee hives too?

Have a happy new week!

Martha said...

That's so interesting, I would have never known.

Elephant's Child said...

What a brilliant idea. Hooray for the hard-working bees. And for blueberries.

HWIT BLOGG said...

Lovely and interesting post! Great pictures too...
Titti

Bill said...

So that is where the busy bees hang out. I love blueberries and my wife loves raspberries.

Helen said...

Aah, now I too have the answer! Thanks.

Celia said...

Good to see bees at work. I have a big lavender plant on my patio and this year honeybees started showing up. YaY.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Oh now you have me wanting some blueberries.

Lorrie said...

Bees do such important work. They are buzzing around our lavender bushes these days.

At Home In New Zealand said...

Bees are such busy little insects whose value is often underestimated.
They are so important for the pollination of many different plants, as well as the delicious honey they produce. I always try to avoid swatting bees that have made their way indoors, preferring to catch them in a glass and then releasing them outdoors again.

The Furry Gnome said...

Didn't know you grew blueberries down there.

Joanne Noragon said...

Fascinating find.

Bindu said...

Wow! the bees are at work!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

What a wonderful demonstration of man working with nature Marie, what would we do without those busy bees :)

Hena Tayeb said...

Wow that is so interesting.

The Padre said...

Well Said Perth - What A Fantastic Outing There - Bees Make Me Smile But Cycling Heals My Heart - Be Well

Cheers

photowannabe said...

I love blueberries..in fact I just bought some but I bet they aren't half as good as those that will be ready in that field. Yummm
Sue

Anvilcloud said...

If I were a bee I might complain about the dilapidated accommodations, but the setting is pretty good. :)

Anvilcloud said...

If I were a bee I might complain about the dilapidated accommodations, but the setting is pretty good. :)

Silver in AZ said...

Hi Marie! Beautiful land! That's interesting how they utilize bees to fertilize the berries!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I have seen similar activity taking place in Maine, in an area aptly called the Blueberry Barrens. I am sure it is a good source of income for the apiarists.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Thank you. I'm happy to learn how important bees are to blueberry production. I had no idea about their companionship.

baili said...

i only knew that bees help lot in new plantation through pollination but this one is new thing to learn that their help in blueberries growth is particularly important
thank you for beautiful views and the information dear Marie
blessings to you and loved ones!

Catarina said...

Blueberries, an antioxidant superfood!
Can't live without bees...

Susie of Arabia said...

Awesome and interesting!