Cherries
Back in the basin, cherries open the spring with the first tree-fruit bloom. It's a short, fast window — sweet cherries set their crop in just a handful of warm days, so the bees have to be in place, strong, and ready the moment the orchard turns white.
Set to the field, not a chart.
| Planting & row spacing | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Standard plantingsconventional row spacing | 2colonies / acre |
| High-density & cool bloomtight rows, short fly-weather | 2.5–3colonies / acre |
Sweet cherries bloom early and finish fast, so saturation in a short window is everything. About two colonies per acre is the regional baseline, climbing toward three where blocks are dense or where cool early-spring weather cuts the hours bees can fly. Strong colonies foraging hard in a brief bloom are worth more than extra boxes sitting cold.
Strong colonies, in the right place, on time.
- Ready for a short windowCherry bloom can be over in days — colonies are staged to go in strong and work from the first warm hour.
- Placed for cross-pollinationMany cherry blocks need a pollenizer variety; we distribute colonies so bees move pollen between rows.
- Strength over headcountIn a brief, cool bloom a few strong colonies out-work a larger number of weak ones.
- Health tracked through the jobStrength and mite pressure are monitored before and during the move.
If you want to go deeper.
Independent university-extension and research sources on cherries pollination — useful background as we plan your season together.
These figures are general industry recommendations, not a fixed price or a promise of a specific colony count. Final stocking is set per field with you, based on acreage, planting density, variety and bloom conditions. External links open third-party sites we don't control.
Planning cherries for the coming season?
Tell us your acreage and bloom window and we'll talk through colony numbers, timing and placement.