Washington State University researchers hope to discover whether honeybees they've bred will better pollinate Washington's diverse crops.
A $249,000 federal grant is helping pay for a field study in which researchers will work with commercial beekeepers to test the pollinating performance of three subspecies of honeybees they've bred using sperm from European bees.
Bees are critical to Washington agriculture, as they help pollinate 10 of Washington's top 40 crops. Mid-Columbia crops that depend on bees for pollination include apples, cherries and blueberries.
Poor pollination leads to poor crop volumes.