Project Beeswax: On the Problem of Beehive Location for Optimum Pollination

Food production is to a large extent dependent on pollination. However, pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hover flies, butterflies and other wild pollinators are being lost at an alarming rate due to loss of habitat, disease [1], and excessive use of pesticides and in particular neonicotinoids. Indeed, a recent report by the European Food Safety Agency concluded that some pesticides posed a high risk to pollinators such as honeybees [2]. As a result, honeybees are becoming an increasingly scarce resource. An effective use of this resource is therefore in order. This report describes an optimization approach to deploying honeybees in an effective way for pollinating fruit trees and other flowering plants.