A key to identification of inadequate pollination is the presence of this pinkish cast in the field. Prompt pollination causes the petals to shed and fruit development to proceed before this can occur. The fruit ripens in a couple of months. The production of pollen and nectar of cranberries, vital in the pollination and fruit-set of the crop, seems to vary with conditions and location. This seems to be the general rule.
Beekeepers occasionally obtain a reddish honey they associate with bee activity on cranberries.
There seems little doubt that the plant is more attractive to honey bees for its pollen than its nectar, but if bees visited it solely for its pollen, which is available before the stigma is receptive, little pollination would occur. Shimanuki et al. This may lead to the development of specially selected bees for cranberry pollination. Cranberry breeders might benefit the industry by selecting plant strains that produce more nectar or that have more attractive nectar for pollinating insects. They recommended that the grower use one strong colony for each 2 acres of this crop.