Pollination Insight Platform empowers growers to address the unique challenges of apple pollination
BeeHero has announced the expanded application of its Pollination Insight Platform (PIP) to the apple market.
According to the group, PIP will provide growers with actionable, data-driven insights to optimise apple pollination strategies for improved yield and efficiency.
”A state-of-the-art in-field sensing solution, BeeHero’s PIP empowers growers to address the unique challenges of apple pollination, where timing and precision are critical to fruit size, quality, and overall yield,” it explained.
BeeHero pointed out that, with more than 100 varieties grown in the US alone, apples are particularly sensitive to the timing and efficacy of pollination, requiring careful coordination between bloom status, hive placement, and pest management to maximise fruit yield and quality.
Additionally, with the loss rate of managed honey bee colonies in the US exceeding 55 per cent, ensuring optimal pollination is more crucial than ever.
PIP delivers real-time data and predictive models to guide apple growers’ decision-making, ensuring they can achieve the best possible outcomes without exhausting their pollination resources, it stated.
With BeeHero’s IoT sensors placed throughout apple orchards, growers can monitor bloom progression and identify the optimal time for beekeepers to deploy hives.
This precision timing maximises pollination outcomes and minimises wasted resources.
By monitoring foraging activity throughout the bloom progression, PIP also provides insights into the best times for integrative pest management activities, helping growers avoid disrupting pollinators during peak activity periods.
The bee activity PIP collects, combined with data on apple variety and yield projection, helps growers make informed decisions on hive placement and density to achieve optimal pollination coverage.
PIP’s high-resolution heat maps also deliver a visualisation of pollination activity in real-time, enabling apple growers to compare bee activity directly to yield outcomes.
These insights provide a clear understanding of pollination effectiveness and help growers strategically plan for future seasons, helping to support their business over time.
“Apple pollination is a delicate and time-sensitive process in which every moment counts,” said said Itai Kanot, co-founder and chief growth officer of BeeHero.
”With PIP, we are equipping growers with the tools they need to make data-driven decisions that impact their ongoing and future seasons.
“By applying our advanced sensing technology to apple orchards, we’re enabling growers to unlock new levels of efficiency and sustainability in their operations, further advancing our mission to future-proof global food security,” Kanot added.
