At Chelan Ranch, spring is anything but quiet. Our orchards buzz with bees, blush with blossoms, and sometimes thrum with the low roar of a helicopter flying overhead.

We use honeybees and helicopters to pollinate our organic apple and cherry orchards. It may sound like a nature documentary meets Top Gun, but this combo is key to a healthy harvest, even for so-called self-pollinating varieties like Skeena cherries.

Let’s dig into the why, the how, and the research that backs it up.

Team Bee: The Natural MVPs of Pollination

When it comes to pollination, nothing beats the precision of a honeybee. As our trees bloom each spring, we bring in local honeybee hives to help kickstart fruit set.

These little pros:

• Visit thousands of flowers a day

• Transfer pollen directly from blossom to blossom

• Trigger fertilization so the fruit can grow

We typically place:

• 1 hive per acre for apples
• More hives per acre for cherries, which are extra fussy

We treat our bees like VIPs: We place hives in sunny, wind-free spots, provide drinking water (with stick landings—adorable and necessary), and protect the hives from curious bears.

And it’s not just farm folklore — the research backs the bees:

• A 2018 Science study showed that animal pollinators (primarily bees) significantly boost fruit quality, yield, and seed viability.
• UC Davis research confirmed that more bee visits = larger, better-shaped cherries.

But even the hardest-working bees have their limits…

Enter: Team Helicopter

Sometimes spring doesn’t play fair. Cold mornings, rainy afternoons, and still air can slow bee activity and stop pollen.

That’s when we call in the big blades.

We hire a helicopter to fly low over our orchard during peak bloom, especially for cherries. The rotor wash shakes loose pollen, helping it swirl around and land where it needs to, especially in thick canopies or tight planting blocks where bees might miss a few blossoms.

And it’s not just for show. According to Washington State University, helicopter rotor wash can boost fruit set by 10–20% when weather stalls natural pollination.

Think of it as giving nature a breeze when the wind won’t show up.

But Wait, Aren’t Skeena Cherries Self-Fertile?

Yes, and also no.

Self-fertile varieties like Skeena don’t need another variety nearby to set fruit. But here’s the twist: they still perform better when exposed to cross-pollination.

When pollen from a genetically different cherry tree (a different allele) lands on Skeena blossoms, it often results in:

• Higher fruit set
• Larger cherries
• More uniform ripening
• More substantial seed and pit development

Why? Cross-pollination speeds up pollen tube growth, leading to more successful fertilization, even in trees that can self-pollinate. Helicopters help by stirring the alternate pollen through the block, especially in a tight window when every hour counts.

So, Why Do We Use Both at Chelan Ranch?

Because pollination isn’t one-size-fits-all, spring weather in Washington can be wildly unpredictable.

Combining bees’ surgical precision with the broad-coverage backup of helicopter rotor wash ensures that our organic apples and cherries get precisely what they need to set fruit, even when Mother Nature throws us a curveball.

It’s just one more way we blend sustainable farming with practical innovation to grow the fruit you love.

Want to Taste the Results?

Visit ChelanRanch.com to shop our fresh organic fruit and freeze-dried favorites — or stop by during bloom or harvest season to see this buzz-and-blades magic in action.