PLUM and prune grower Michael Trimboli is dependent on bees for pollination at his Inglewood property.
Mr Trimboli, who produces 30 tonnes of fruit a year in his 4.5-hectare orchard, said it was a simple “no bees, no crop” situation.
“It’s really evident when I get cold winters and the bees don’t fly,” he said.
“There’s no pollination of the early varieties.”
Mr Trimboli once relied on wild bees, but introduced domestic hives last season after erecting bird netting.
He said the project being conducted by Horticulture Innovation Australia and Plant & Food Research New Zealand would be a positive step in pest prevention and discovering behavioural patterns of bees in their natural state.
PFRNZ Apiculture team leader David Pattemore said the incursion of varroa mite in NZ led to the rapid loss of feral bee colonies, and changes to pollination.
“We found the rental price of managed honey bee colonies doubled when varroa arrived,” he said.
