The key to a successful pollination service is communication with the grower. Highest prices received by growers were in the south and west central area of the state where harvest begins earlier. According to MacGregor's book, multiple visits by bees are perhaps more important than duration of visits and melon flowers are not visited uniformly throughout the day. Finally, if adequate amounts of pollen are not transferred to the stigma, the resulting melon may be misshapen, leading to rejection by buyers. This translates to about one to five hives per acre, depending on the bee population in each hive.
All growers know that highest market price results from early watermelons.
The sooner the melon flower becomes pollinated, the sooner the melon can be marketed. This emphasizes the potential need for a large number of honey bee colonies, a reliable managed source of insect pollinators leading to fully formed early and higher priced melons. Production of cucumbers is well distributed around the State. Again, frequency of bee visits is extremely important to cucumber pollination. According to MacGregor, most authorities give primary credit to the honey bee in pollinating squash.