Oct 20, 2026 · 9 min · 7 segments
Pollination is one of the biggest drivers of performance, and under covers it can be particularly challenging. In this Wise Words podcast, we discuss how to support bee activity in covered Gold3…
So let's start with some of the basics.
Shane, what can growers who have large covered Gold III orchards do to help bees perform better?
So that's about keeping the sides fully rolled up, not just to the top of the egg beans, but all the way to the roof because the bees still get stuck if even they've got a partial side.
That's where you open up a complete panel, you know, 16 by 16 or 18 by 18 metres wide.
And then wherever practical, make sure the bees are never too far away from those openings.
Yeah.
And so that must mean that hive placement matters too, right?
Yes, key actually.
They should be obviously in a warm sheltered block, preferably outside the perimeter of the the shelter, but if you've got to put them in, put them in where there is, they can see the sky.
That's the problem with the netting is they can't orientate themselves and so they basically get lost, can't get back to their hives.
Water has to be close by.
And a more challenging covered structures can be beneficial to rotate them every three to four days.
So that's actually taking the hives that have been there three or four days out and replacing them with new hives because bee numbers can be decreasing significantly in that three to four days.
Yeah, and just to clarify, those bee gates, it's cutting a hole in not just the net, but making sure the canopy of the vine isn't there as well, right? So bees can see the sunlight.
Yes, exactly.
I mean, a lot of people put them under their wind machines, but we're talking more than that in some of these big blocks.
And yes, you've got to let the hives see direct sunlight.
So yeah, no canopy either.
Yeah.
No kiwifruit canopy.
Yeah.
So let's start with some of the basics.
Shane, what can growers who have large covered Gold III orchards do to help bees perform better?
So that's about keeping the sides fully rolled up, not just to the top of the egg beans, but all the way to the roof because the bees still get stuck if even they've got a partial side.
That's where you open up a complete panel, you know, 16 by 16 or 18 by 18 metres wide.
And then wherever practical, make sure the bees are never too far away from those openings.
Yeah.
And so that must mean that hive placement matters too, right?
Yes, key actually.
They should be obviously in a warm sheltered block, preferably outside the perimeter of the the shelter, but if you've got to put them in, put them in where there is, they can see the sky.
That's the problem with the netting is they can't orientate themselves and so they basically get lost, can't get back to their hives.
Water has to be close by.
And a more challenging covered structures can be beneficial to rotate them every three to four days.
So that's actually taking the hives that have been there three or four days out and replacing them with new hives because bee numbers can be decreasing significantly in that three to four days.
Yeah, and just to clarify, those bee gates, it's cutting a hole in not just the net, but making sure the canopy of the vine isn't there as well, right? So bees can see the sunlight.
Yes, exactly.
I mean, a lot of people put them under their wind machines, but we're talking more than that in some of these big blocks.
And yes, you've got to let the hives see direct sunlight.
So yeah, no canopy either.
Yeah.
No kiwifruit canopy.
Yeah.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
