Commercial berry growers in the UK increasingly rent honeybee colonies to pollinate strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries grown under polytunnels. Unlike open fields, tunnels limit how far bees range from their hives, and closed side-vents (used to protect against wind or cold) reduce bee flight activity further. This scene places rented hives at one end of a tunnel and lets bees forage down each row — flowers brighten as they are visited, fading toward the far end of the tunnel.
Growers and beekeepers typically agree pollination contracts per colony per tunnel or per hectare, often paid regardless of the honey crop — because in an enclosed tunnel, bees may make little or no surplus honey at all while still delivering essential pollination.
A 3D polytunnel where rented honeybee colonies forage down rows of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries — flowers brighten as bees visit them, and coverage fades toward the far end of the tunnel.
Bee foraging range inside a polytunnel is limited and shaped by colony density and ventilation, so pollination coverage decays with distance from the hives rather than being uniform across the crop.
Set the hive count and crop type, adjust tunnel length, and toggle open versus closed sides. Watch coverage stats and flower colour update as bees fly farther or fall short of the tunnel's far end.
Blueberries typically need several times more colonies per hectare than strawberries because their bell-shaped flowers require more visits, which is why pollination contract pricing varies so much by crop.