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POLLINATORS AND TREES FOR BEES
Pollination is essential for many agricultural crops. Not only because it leads to seeds or fruit but pollinators can also affect the quality of the produce. This is why we want to increase the number of bees and other pollinators on our farms.
TREES FOR BEES NEW ZEALAND
MATAHIIA & KATOA
In New Zealand, we are the platinum sponsor of the project: Producing Abundant Bee Pollinators For Sustainable Farming, run by Trees for Bees. This is an organisation dedicated to solving the problems of malnutrition and starvation in bees for agricultural and horticultural production in New Zealand.
In collaboration with Trees for Bees, we have planted shelterbelts, dust screens, paddock shade plantings and riparian zones on our farms Matahiia and Katoa Stations. The species are handpicked to ensure the availability of bee forage throughout the season for both wild and managed pollinators.
PUKETITI The Mangaorongo River winds through our farm Puketiti Station. To prevent stock access, we have fenced off a buffer zone to each side of the river. In collaboration with Trees for Bees, we have planted this buffer zone in riparian plantings, which include bee forage species, thereby enhancing the environmental benefits of this area. The flowering plants help support beehives outside of the manuka flowering season as well as provide a steady source of forage for native pollinators and bumble bees on our farm.
Beekeepers participating in the project have already benefitted from the new plantings. Their bees can now find forage year round. Also, sites that had not previously been used for over-wintering can now support as many as 24 hives. We are hopeful our efforts will also help increase wild pollinator numbers to the benefit of wild flowering plants and pollinator-dependent crops. This is a clear example of how our vision of farming with nature can benefit both farmers, beekeepers, wild pollinators and crop production by working with local organisations and letting nature work for us.
