How many bees do I need to pollinate my yard?
How many bees you need depends on what you're looking to pollinate.
Backyard Pollination
- Mason and leafcutter bees fly in a radius of about 300' (100m) from their nest, or about 6 acres.
- Each nesting female bee needs about 1 square yard of flowers/day to gain enough pollen.
- We believe that about 10 mason bee cocoons are needed for each mature tree in bloom to adequately pollinate that tree.
- For an average 40' x 40' garden, an order of 200 leafcutter bees is adequate.
When starting out, it is a good idea to first determine if the bees will perform well in your yard. Purchase 1-2 orders of bees to start with and don't forget about the need for good moist clayey-mud!
Orchard Pollination
- This depends on the tree variety:
- About 1,000 cocoons are needed for an acre of cherries.
- About 400 are needed for a field of strawberries.
- About 250 are needed for an acre of apples.
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