Multi-species Pollination Improves Cherry Crop

A study from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, found that if sweet cherry trees were pollinated by more than one bee species, they produced more cherries. In research in cherry orchards in Eastern Germany, scientists found that some growers used honey bees as pollinators, while others used mason bees. However, in orchards that utilized both types of bees, fruit set was as high as 70%. Scientists aren’t sure yet of the cause for the synergistic pollinator effect, but they say it’s yet another benefit of biodiversity.
Related ATTRA publication: Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees