Strategic Honey Bee Hive Placement Improves Honey Bee Visitation but not Pollination in Northern Highbush Blueberry

Commercial blueberry Vaccinium spp. (Ericales: Ericaceae) production relies on insect-mediated pollination. Pollination is mostly provided by rented honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), but blueberry crop yields can be limited due to pollination deficits. Various hive placement strategies have been recommended to mitigate pollination shortfalls, but the effect of hive placement has received limited formal investigation. This study explores the effects of clumped and dispersed hive placement strategies on honey bee visitation and pollination outcomes in ‘Bluecrop’ and ‘Duke’ fields over two years (2021 and 2022) within two economically important regions of production in the United States – the Midwest (Michigan) and Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington). Clumping hives consistently increased honey bee visitation rate but did not result in higher fruit set, fruit weight, and seed count. Increases in honey bee visitation through clumping could perhaps improve pollination outcomes in more pollination-limited blueberry cultivars and other pollination-dependent crops. Clumping hives is substantially more efficient and cost-effective for beekeepers due to fewer drop locations and could lead to cost savings for both beekeepers and blueberry growers without growers sacrificing pollination levels and crop yields.