Bee Pink®

The Pink Lady® Europe association created the Bee Pink® programme in partnership with experts from the agricultural and beekeeping spheres, with a view to sharing best arboricultural practices and protecting bees.

Without bee

THERE WOULD BE NO APPLES!

The importance
of pollination

Pollinators, and notably bees, play an essential part in the pollination of apple blossom and their transformation into fruit:

The lifespan of a flower ranges from 2 to 10 days. The pollination period is therefore very short.

Thanks to partnerships with beekeepers, growers introduce bees into the orchard during the blossoming period.

They can thus guarantee a natural pollination process and the successful transformation of flower into fruit.

Apple growers, hand in hand with beekeepers

To make sure effective pollination occurs, Pink Lady® growers work in close collaboration with professional beekeepers.

The success of this partnership lies both in the hive’s healthy development for the beekeeper and the respect of the apple grower’s needs. Together they decide on the optimal conditions that will facilitate the bee’s work.

The location of the hives is critical, for instance. They are always sheltered from the wind and exposed to the rising sun, so that with the first rays of sunlight, the bees get busy and leave the hive to pollinate the flowers.

At the heart

OF THE BEE PINK® PROJECT

Intended for all Pink Lady® growers, it includes awareness days as well as a guide that combines technical knowledge, regulations and practical advice, and is the result of rigorous research and discussions with experts from the agricultural and beekeeping spheres.

Objective : 100% of Pink Lady® growers implicated

Key points for the conservation of bees in the orchard throughout the year

The presence of domestic and wild bees has a positive effect on the weight and shape of the fruit, as well as the number of pips… on the whole fruit, really!

Providing board and lodging

Bees consume between 20 and 50 kg of pollen per year!

The presence of hedges and uncultivated land around the orchard thus represents an essential source of food and habitat for bees and their foraging colleagues.

Creating a water point and monitoring its quality

A bee colony needs 8 litres of water per week when at its most active.

Preserving a water point such as a pond near the orchard thus limits their movement and gives them more time to forage! Including a landing point is essential to prevent them from drowning.

Respecting bees all year round

Bees, and notably wild bees, are very active in the orchards throughout the flowering period, but also during the rest of the year, day and night!

Sustainable production methods thus make it possible to preserve them on a daily basis.

Bee Pink® game

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The importance of biodiversity
in our orchardsDiscover the importance of biodiversity