To improve bee pollination during bloom, tree fruit growers should focus on colony strength, number of colonies per acre, colony placement, and timing of colony introduction and removal, says a Washington beekeeper. Jeff Lunden, owner of Corral Creek Pollinators and a small pluot orchard in Benton City, Washington, offers the following pollination tips: • Colony strength Strong, healthy frame of bees should be about two-thirds covered, holding approximately 2,400 bees. A hive with 8 to 10 frames that are two-thirds covered, results in 19,200 to 24,000 bees. Two-thirds of colony bee populations are house bees, with the remaining third serving […]