Efficient pollination is a vital component of tree fruit orchard management, which is usually provided by A. mellifera. However, the supply of and ability to use A. mellifera for tree fruit orchard pollination can be limited for crops that bloom in early spring when bee colonies are just emerging from winter and when the weather can be too cold and wet for A. mellifera flight. Migratory beekeepers are hard-pressed to meet the demands of US spring pollination of crops such as almond, cherry, pear. Here we explored the role of co-pollination of Osmia lignaria and A. mellifera in three orchard crops, sweet cherries, pears, and almonds. We found that in all three crops the addition of blue orchard bees increased fruit set, and in years with unfavorable conditions increased overall yield in these orchard crops. Osmia lignaria in conjunction with A. mellifera can serve as pollination insurance to ensure successful pollination for early spring orchard crops.
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