Hollabaugh Bros., Inc.

In honor of National Pollinators Month, let's take a look at the importance of our pollinator friends here on the farm. Not all growers bring bees onto their farm for pollination. Other forms of pollination can work too – wind, native bees, birds, butterflies, etc. But when you’re talking about your potential to have a crop – or not – we tend to err on the side of doing just about everything we can to give us the best chance for a crop as possible. It’s not without significant expense, though. This year, we invested over $10,000 in bees for pollination.

Bee populations are decreasing worldwide, and this past winter was especially alarming, with large apiarists reporting losses of nearly 50% of their total hive infrastructure across the US. It’s a scary thought that our bees are threatened, and why it’s so important we do our best to protect them. We work incredibly hard here on our farm to do just that. That means managing what sprays we use and when we use them, planting pollinator habitats all over our farm to offer natural and safe places for them to live, installing bee boxes to create habitat for native bees year round, and more. You can do your part, too – plant native flowers that give bees a food source. Be careful and thoughtful about using pesticides and fertilizers around your home. And if you’re unsure, reach out to your local Penn State Extension office. 🐝
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