Pollination Under Pressure: Supporting Bloom Success with Biopolin®

Originally printed in The Grower, April 2026 Volume 76 Number 04, page 15

Pollination is often the quiet driver behind crop performance. Long before harvest decisions are made, it determines fruit set, seed development, size, shape, and overall quality. Even with strong fertility programs and sound crop protection strategies, inadequate pollination can limit what a crop is capable of delivering.

In recent years, pollination has become less predictable. Weather patterns are more variable, pollinator health remains a concern, and access to rental hives can fluctuate. As a result, pollination has shifted from an assumed process to one that increasingly requires active management.

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The Challenge of Consistent Pollination

Bee pollination remains essential, but it is not without challenges. Cool or unstable

weather can reduce foraging activity during bloom. Pollinators often concentrate

on the most accessible or warmest areas of a tree or crop, leaving interior canopy zones or later opening blooms under pollinated. Even in orchards with good bee presence, uneven pollination can translate into inconsistent crop load and added management pressure later in the season.

At Manitree Fruit Farms, located along the north shore of Lake Erie, pollination

is viewed as part of a broader on farm ecosystem. The multigenerational operation grows a diverse range of crops, including strawberries, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, tomatoes, and squash, with apples alone spanning early, mid, and late season varieties. “Pollination is extremely important to everything we do,” says Brian Rideout, who is closely involved in orchard management. “Each step in the system must complement the next. Without thorough pollination, crop load is reduced, and so are your options for what you can ultimately harvest.”

Managing Risk During Bloom

Like many growers, Manitree Fruit Farms relies on a combination of resident

pollinators, rented hives, and habitat management to support pollination.

But changing weather patterns have made it more difficult to rely on these

strategies alone.

“We’ll always face challenges,” Rideout explains. “The goal isn’t eliminating risk, it’s reducing it. The more ideal we can make the environment for pollinators to work, the better.”

That mindset has led growers to explore tools that support pollinator activity rather than replace it. Biopolin fits into this category as a pollination enhancer designed to increase the attractiveness of crop flowers to pollinating insects during bloom.

What Biopolin Brings to the Pollination Window

Applied at the beginning of flowering, Biopolin is formulated with naturally

occurring compounds, including essential oils and polysaccharides. These ingredients work at the flower level to encourage more frequent and sustained visits from pollinating insects such as honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees. A key feature of Biopolin is its Slow-Release Technology, which gradually releases attractant compounds over time. This allows a single application to remain active throughout much of the bloom period, rather than delivering a short-lived effect. By helping keep pollinators active and focused within the crop, Biopolin supports more efficient pollen transfer during a stage when timing is critical.

Improving Pollination Distribution

One of the less visible challenges in pollination is distribution. Pollinators

naturally gravitate toward areas that are easiest to access—often the outside

of the canopy, the sunniest side of the tree, or the earliest opening blooms.

“Pollinators can be selective,” Rideout notes. “They’ll go where it’s easiest.

An enhancer can help push them into areas they wouldn’t typically venture,

whether that’s deeper in the canopy or onto later blooms.”

In high density orchards and fruiting wall systems, even pollination from the

bottom of the tree to the top is especially important. Uniform pollination supports balanced crop load, simplifies thinning decisions, and helps reduce stress on the tree over the season.

From Bloom to Crop Load

At Manitree Fruit Farms, Biopolin was initially trialed on a limited area to compare treated and untreated blocks. The goal was not to chase maximum yield, but to address inconsistencies between bloom intensity and fruit set.

“We were seeing full bloom in some varieties but not the fruit set we expected,”

Rideout explains. “Some varieties just weren’t as attractive to the pollinator

population.” By counting fruit after petal fall—before growth regulators were applied—Rideout observed more consistent fruit set in areas where Biopolin was used. Similar observations were repeated in subsequent seasons, leading to broader adoption. “The earlier we can get pollination completed, the better position we’re in,” he says. “It comes down to having a consistent crop

load from the bottom of the tree to the top.”

A Complementary Tool, Not a Replacement

While no product can control weather or guarantee outcomes, pollination remains one of the most influential opportunities growers have to protect yield potential early in the season. Effective pollination contributes to better fruit set, improved uniformity, and stronger foundations for fruit size and quality.

For Rideout, the value of a pollination enhancer is practical. “Does it work?

Is it easy to implement? Does it fit our cultural practices? And does it pay for

itself?” After several seasons of use, his answer has been consistent.

“When pollination is more predictable,” he says, “everything else—from crop

load management to planning for future seasons—becomes easier.”

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