Citrus farming and beekeeping: with good practices, coexistence between the two activities is possible

A study conducted by bee specialists from Unesp and UFSCar, with the support of Fundecitrus, concluded that coexistence between citrus farming and beekeeping is possible and brings benefits to both.

To identify ways to make these activities compatible, the “Coexistence” project installed apiaries close to commercial orange farms and evaluated the results of when good agricultural and beekeeping practices are followed.

Bees are responsible for an important pollination service and studies have confirmed that the pollination carried out by them contributes to several aspects related to orange production. “It is possible to manage the orchards and conserve the bees: there was no negative impact on the experiment's apiaries, which shows that respecting good practices greatly minimizes problems”, highlights the researcher at the Center for Agricultural Sciences at UFSCar de Araras and coordinator of the research, Roberta Nocelli.

In the monitored apiaries, there was also an increase in honey production in the hives, which is due to the great availability of nectar in citrus, a greater quantity of stored pollen (protein that serves as food for bees) and the maintenance of offspring, showing that There was no change in feeding and reproductive behavior.       

Check out the full details of this research by accessing here.