Agreements with landowners

Negotiate placement agreements with farmers, orchard owners, or rural landholders who benefit from on-site pollination. Many crop growers actively seek beekeepers because honeybee pollination can increase fruit and seed yields by 20 to 60 percent depending on the crop.

Why It Works

Landowners gain improved pollination without hiring commercial services, while beekeepers access diverse forage and larger land areas than a home lot provides. The mutual benefit sustains long-term access.

Tips

• Draft a written agreement covering hive count, access hours, liability, pesticide notification, and duration of the arrangement
• Offer a honey share of 10 to 20 percent of harvest or free pollination as compensation rather than cash rent
• Request at least 48 hours advance notice before any pesticide application near hives
• Choose sites with mixed forage within a 3-kilometer radius to support colonies through the full season