One of the most important jobs on the farm during spring is pollination. Fortunately, these workers love their job! Dozens of hives are contracted for a couple of weeks. The bees are tended year-round by professional keepers, who use them for their honey and rent them to orchards. Pollination is especially important to the apples, so the hives are strategically placed in sunny spots near the apple blocks. Though you couldn't tell it from this picture, most of the handling takes place in the twilight or evening hours when the bees are inactive in their hives. Handlers are occasionally stung, but the bees tend to be pretty docile if treated gently. Recent infestations of a tiny trachial mite have devastated domestic honey bee hives around the country, and put a strain on bee availability.
