Spring time in the Kloof means one thing – The Sweet smell of ORANGE BLOSSOMS!
One of my favourite things to do in spring time is to go outside first thing in the morning and take a nice deep breath of fresh air and take in the lovely smell of “New Beginnings”. But this also makes us appreciate the importance of our BEES.
The new blossoms bring our little helpers.
Bees play a massive roll in our crop production. According to a study published in the “Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases” in January 2004, bees contributed a lot to fruit production. The blossoms that were exposed to the bees had a 35,30% increase in fruit production, opposed to the blossoms that were covered and had no bee visits. The more bees that visited a blossom lead to an increase in frutification, therefore a good pollination is super IMPORTANT. We need a great amount of honeybees doing their jobs. An increase of fruit production also contributed to the fruit having a heavier weight. This means that there was an increase in pulp thickness and MORE JUICE
The study also stated that the best time for pollination was in the mornings.
So do yourself a huge favour if you drive through Schoemanskloof in the early mornings or at sunset during spring time, open your window and take in the sweet smell of Orange Blossoms. This gives you a greater appreciation for our beloved bees! Thank a bee next time, they helped us to give you a yummy, juicy ORANGE!
