Handbook for Planting Trees for Bees on Farms
The Handbook for Planting Trees for Bees on Farms presents basic principles and practical advice on how to plant the best pollen and nectar sources for bees. The 116-page handbook is the culmination of 10 years of field and lab research, 32 successful demonstration farms and 75,000 bee trees and shrubs planted.
We show how farmers can include premier bee forage on farms without asking them to set aside productive land or engage in long term extra inputs or labour. Excellent bee forage can easily be included in plantations designed for other farm purposes.
The Handbook covers ten different types of plantations: riparian protection; land stabilisation; shelterbelts; paddock shade and shelter; native bush biodiversity; roads, avenues, and laneways; amenity; edible plantations; apiaries and beekeeper yards; and mānuka plantations. Each plantation type is described with examples, illustrations, advice, and plant lists.
We also offer practical guidance on how to prepare a planting plan; balance and target a bee forage profile; and establish a plantation. The steps for designing a good bee forage plan include candidate planting lists, flowering calendars, and charts for flowering diversity and abundance.
These principles and guidelines for planting for bees can be adapted to any type of farm from pastoral to arable and horticultural as well as other land-uses such as public parks, lifestyle blocks, and gardens.
Availability
The Handbook for Planting Trees for Bees on Farms is available to download as:
single page layout; suitable for smaller screens
double-page spread; ideal for viewing on wide screens
The softcover edition of the Handbook is out of print.
Funding
This is the second edition of the Handbook for Planting Trees for Bees on Farms. This edition been printed with the assistance of the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Hawke’s Bay Apiary Education Trust, Silver Fern Farms Limited, Kintail Honey Limited and The New Zealand Merino Company Limited.