Every spring, before our trees are heavy with our legendary stone fruit, the orchard comes alive with the steady hum of honey bees.
These remarkable pollinators are some of agriculture's hardest workers, moving from blossom to blossom and making the fruit we enjoy each summer possible. In fact, the USDA estimates that about 35% of the world's food crops rely on animal pollinators, with honey bees playing a vital role in producing many of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
This Saturday is National Honey Bee Day, and at Frog Hollow Farm, we're celebrating by recognizing not only the important work honey bees do, but also our responsibility to provide them with a healthy place to thrive.
Farming with Pollinators in Mind
A healthy orchard depends on more than healthy trees. It also depends on healthy ecosystems.
That's why, for more than a decade, we've worked alongside the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab to create pollinator habitat throughout the farm. Across nearly 20 acres, we've planted flowering species like phacelia, California poppy, sage, ceanothus, and vitex to provide nectar and pollen long after our fruit trees have finished blooming.
These flowering corridors offer honey bees and native bees a reliable source of food throughout the growing season while also supporting soil health, conserving water, and increasing biodiversity across the farm. Rather than farming around nature, we strive to farm alongside it.
More Than Just Honey Bees
While National Honey Bee Day shines a spotlight on honey bees, they aren't the only pollinators hard at work in our orchard.
California is home to hundreds of native bee species, many of which are exceptionally effective pollinators. Since partnering with the Bee Lab, the number of native bee species documented at Frog Hollow Farm has grown from about 20 to more than 50. Species like the Andrena bee are especially valuable for pollinating our cherry trees.
By creating habitat that supports both managed honey bees and native pollinators, we're building a more resilient orchard where every species contributes to healthy harvests.
Helping Bees Beyond the Farm
Honey bees and native bees both face ongoing challenges, including habitat loss, climate change, and reduced sources of food. The good news is that even small actions can make a meaningful difference.
Whether you plant bee-friendly flowers in your garden, leave space for native plants to flourish, or simply support farms that prioritize pollinator habitat, you're helping protect the insects that help feed us all.
This National Honey Bee Day, we're grateful for every buzzing visitor to our orchard. Their work may be small, but the impact reaches every branch, every harvest, and every table.