Minimizing Pesticide Risk to Bees in Fruit Crops

Pollinating insects, of which bees are the most important, contribute significantly to the yield and quality of fruit crops in the United States. Pollination services provided by bees are worth billions of dollars annually to fruit crop industries across the nation. Fruit crops vary in their need for bees to deliver pollen for pollination, but most — including apples, blueberries, cherries, strawberries and raspberries — will produce larger and more even fruit if their flowers are well visited by bees. For all these crops, having healthy bees to provide pollination is essential for their production, so protecting bees from pesticide risk is an important part of growing fruit crops.