Tech Tackles Pollination Crisis

The Fields of the Future: How Technology is Tackling the Pollination Crisis

Under a sweltering sun, Thai Sade carefully tends to his avocado trees, preparing them not for the arrival of bees, but for a mechanical touch. On his cooperative agricultural community in Israel's central region, a quiet revolution is taking place. Agricultural producers are turning to technology as the world's most vital pollinators struggle to keep up. The hum of insects is slowly being replaced by the whir of machines, a stark indicator of a food system under immense pressure.

Sade is the founder of BloomX, a technology firm pioneering artificial pollination. He explained that his enterprise has engineered a system to mechanically fertilise crops, mimicking the natural work of bees. He clarified their goal is not to substitute for these essential insects. Instead, the company wants to give farmers more effective fertilisation tools, lessening the agricultural sector's reliance on commercially managed hives. This innovation arrives at a critical moment for global food security.

Our Silent Agricultural Partners

The vast majority of crops cultivated for people to eat are dependent on pollinators. A significant majority, about 75 percent of the global fruit or seed-producing crops, rely, at least partially, on the tireless work of these creatures. Bees, including farmed honeybees and over 20,000 wild species like the bumblebee, perform most of this essential labour. Their role is fundamental to the biodiversity of our ecosystems and the stability of our food supply, making their decline a global concern.

A statistic reveals that in the United States, various bee types are responsible for fertilizing three-quarters of all fruits, nuts, and vegetables the nation cultivates. Europe sees a comparable figure, where other creatures like butterflies and wasps contribute to the final 25 percent of the work. The economic value of these natural services is staggering, underpinning entire agricultural industries and ensuring the availability of a diverse and healthy diet for millions of people around the world.

A Global Problem with Local Roots

Regrettably for growers and consumers alike, bee colonies face unprecedented threats. A combination of climate change, shrinking habitats, and the application of chemical pest controls is putting immense strain on bee colonies. These factors weaken bee immune systems, disrupt their navigation, and reduce their reproductive success, leading to significant population declines in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe and North America.

The intensification of farming practices has stripped landscapes of the diverse wildflowers that bees need to thrive. Monoculture farming, while efficient for producing single crops, creates vast food deserts for pollinators. This lack of floral diversity and nesting habitats is a primary driver of their decline. The cumulative effect of these pressures is a silent crisis, one that threatens not just the bees themselves, but the very foundation of our agricultural systems.

The Parasite Plaguing the Hives

Adding to these environmental pressures, a formidable foe is battling the European honeybee: a destructive parasite, the Varroa destructor mite, is severely impacting the population. This tiny pest is considered one of the greatest threats to modern beekeeping. The mite latches onto bees and their larvae, feeding on their body fat and weakening them significantly. An infestation can lead to the death of an entire colony within two to three years if left unmanaged.

The Varroa mite does more than just physically weaken its host. It also acts as a vector for at least five debilitating viruses, including the Deformed Wing Virus, which can devastate a hive. The parasite compromises the bee's immune system, making it more susceptible to other diseases and stressors. The global spread of this mite has had a catastrophic economic impact on the beekeeping industry and is a major contributing factor to colony losses worldwide.

Enter the Machines: A Technological Fix?

In response to the growing pollination deficit, technology companies are stepping in with innovative solutions. BloomX, the Israeli firm founded by Thai Sade, is at the forefront of this movement. Currently, the technology from BloomX targets two specific plants, avocados and blueberries, two crops that can benefit significantly from supplemental pollination, especially in areas where there is a scarcity of local bees. The company's goal is to provide a reliable alternative to ensure consistent crop yields.

The firm's flagship product is the "Robee," a device that resembles a large, wheeled lawnmower in appearance. Two mechanical appendages extend from its sides. As it moves through a field, these arms vibrate and gently brush against blueberry plants, which stimulates the release of pollen. This mechanical agitation was reportedly designed to replicate the "buzz pollination" technique used by bumble bees, as they are the most proficient pollinators for this particular crop.

A Handheld Pollinator

BloomX's second key product is the "Crossbee." This is a manual instrument designed for the delicate task of pollinating avocado trees. It allows farm workers to gather and transfer tacky pollen grains from one tree and manually transfer them to another, ensuring successful cross-pollination. This targeted approach is crucial for avocados, which have a complex flowering cycle that often hinders natural pollination.

The company reports that this machinery sees use in locations including South America, South Africa, Spain, the United States, and Israel. The results have been promising, with BloomX claiming the technology can elevate crop output by 30 percent. This significant boost in productivity offers a compelling economic incentive for growers who are struggling with inconsistent yields due to pollinator decline.

AI and GPS Join the Farm

A sophisticated software platform based on artificial intelligence governs both the Robee and Crossbee systems. This system connects to a smartphone application, providing farm managers with real-time data and control. Each unit includes a GPS locator, which allows workers to track exactly which sections of a plantation have received treatment, preventing missed spots and ensuring comprehensive coverage.

The system's intelligence extends to timing. Farmers can place sensors in their fields to monitor environmental conditions and the flowering stage of their crops. The AI then uses this data to determine the optimal days for pollination, maximising the chances of successful fertilisation. This precision agriculture approach removes much of the guesswork from the process and helps to secure a more reliable harvest.

California's Almond Predicament

Nowhere is the pollination challenge more acute than in California's enormous almond industry. The state is responsible for 80% of the globe's almond supply, an industry valued at an estimated £8.3 billion annually. This massive agricultural enterprise is entirely dependent on honeybees for pollination. Every spring, a staggering logistical operation unfolds as keepers transport honeybees to California from all over the country during the almond blooming period.

This annual migration is the largest managed pollination event in the world. Some accounts indicate that up to 70% of all commercial honeybees in the US travel to the state for this event. It takes approximately two colonies, or around 80,000 bees, to pollinate a single acre of almond trees. With 1.4 million acres of orchards, the demand for hives is immense, creating a high-stakes market for beekeepers and growers alike.

A Stressful Cross-Country Commute

This reliance on migratory beekeeping comes at a cost. Washington State University's associate professor of horticulture, Lisa Wasko DeVetter, explains that this mass movement of bees to California can result in a lack of honeybees in other parts of the nation for different crops. Furthermore, the journey itself is incredibly stressful for the bees. Confined to trucks for thousands of miles, often in high temperatures, the colonies are weakened and become more susceptible to disease.

Wasko DeVetter acknowledged that while travel can weaken colonies, the almond pollination business is vital for the income of beekeepers, helping their businesses remain financially stable. However, a consequence for other agricultural products is a potential honey bee shortage could occur if their blooming periods overlap with the almond season in California. This creates a precarious balancing act for the entire agricultural sector.

The Hidden Costs of Almonds

The significant death rate of honeybees within the almond orchards is a major concern. Beekeepers attribute this to pesticide exposure and the duress their hives endure during transport over thousands of miles. Recent surveys have revealed alarming losses, with some commercial beekeepers reporting that over 60% of their colonies died in the winter leading up to the 2025 bloom. These losses have a devastating financial impact and threaten the stability of the pollination market.

Furthermore, Sade also noted that this intensive deployment of honeybees presents a danger to native wild bees. These indigenous pollinators must contend for resources with the millions of imported honeybees. They also face exposure to unfamiliar diseases and pests carried by the commercial hives, which can have cascading negative effects on the local ecosystem.

Edete’s Pollen Bank Solution

Edete, another technology firm from Israel that focuses on mechanical pollination, is tackling the problem from a different angle. Eylam Ran, the company's chief executive, expressed that humans are forcing bees into environments where they would not naturally exist. His company has developed a technology that could reduce the pressure on bee populations by creating a more resilient and controllable pollination system for growers.

His company's central innovation lies in its capacity to preserve pollen for multiple years without degradation. To achieve this, it has created equipment for both collecting and subsequently distributing the pollen. This creates a "pollen bank" that can be deployed precisely when needed, overcoming many of the limitations of natural pollination, such as poor weather or unsynchronised flowering times.

Precision Fertilisation for Modern Farms

Edete's system allows for delivering optimal pollen precisely when the flower is most receptive to fertilization. Ran explained that their machines can do this for a variety of high-value crops, including apples, pistachios, almonds, and cherries, delivering the pollen with pinpoint accuracy. This method effectively bypasses the need for insects or wind, giving farmers complete control over the fertilisation process.

The technology is already seeing significant uptake, particularly on pistachio farms in California, and the company is now expanding its services to almond growers. Edete recently announced a fourfold increase in its service area in the state, covering over 3,000 acres. Ran believes this is a positive development for bees, arguing that industrial-scale monoculture is not a suitable environment for insects to thrive. He believes that by refraining from compelling bees to work on these crops, the strain on them will be reduced, allowing them to return to more natural foraging patterns.

The Rise of Pollination Drones

Beyond ground-based robots, the next frontier in artificial pollination is in the air. Researchers and startups are developing drones equipped with advanced technologies to mimic the work of bees. These unmanned aerial vehicles can use AI-powered cameras to identify flowers and then employ various methods, such as gentle brushes or electrostatic sprayers, to transfer pollen. This offers a scalable solution for large agricultural areas.

Companies like Dropcopter in the US and XAG in China have already demonstrated success using drones to pollinate crops like almonds, cherries, and pears, reporting yield increases of up to 50%. In controlled environments like greenhouses, where natural pollination is challenging, drones are proving particularly effective. While the technology is still evolving and faces challenges like high costs and regulatory hurdles, its potential to transform agriculture is immense.

The Beekeepers’ Perspective

Not everyone is convinced that technology is the ultimate answer. Speaking for the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), Diane Drinkwater offered a different perspective. She stated that if the health and well-being of bees were made a priority, the demand for mechanical pollination would be significantly diminished. She elaborated that bees have been performing their work effectively for millions of years, asking for little in return except the nectar offered by flowers.

She did acknowledge that certain high-density agricultural operations benefit from the practice of migratory pollination, which provides a living for many professional beekeepers. The BBKA's position is one of support for all pollinators, with a special focus on honeybees. Drinkwater concluded by saying the BBKA champions all pollinators, with a special focus on honeybees. She described them as ideal pollinators that constitute a mobile workforce for fertilizing early crops, which can boost harvests.

A Question of Welfare

The debate highlights a fundamental tension between agricultural productivity and ecological health. The current system of industrial-scale, migratory beekeeping, while economically necessary for certain crops, places immense strain on the bees. This model disrupts their natural life cycles, exposes them to a cocktail of pesticides, and contributes to the spread of disease, ultimately undermining the very resource it depends upon.

The high colony losses reported year after year are a clear signal that the system is unsustainable. While technologies like robotic and drone pollinators offer a potential short-term fix for farmers, critics argue they fail to address the root causes of pollinator decline. They are a treatment for the symptoms, not a cure for the disease of diminished habitats and reliance on pesticides.

Supporting Nature's Workforce

The solution may lie not in replacing nature, but in working with it. Sustainable farming practices offer a path toward restoring pollinator populations while maintaining agricultural productivity. Methods such as planting wildflower strips along field edges, using cover crops like clover, and maintaining hedgerows can provide vital food and nesting habitats for bees and other beneficial insects.

Reducing reliance on chemical pesticides is also crucial. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, which use a combination of techniques to control pests, can significantly lower the chemical load in the environment. Adopting practices like no-till farming helps to protect the nesting sites of ground-dwelling bees, which make up a significant portion of wild bee species. These regenerative approaches build healthier ecosystems from the ground up.

Creating Bee-Friendly Landscapes

Ultimately, protecting pollinators requires a shift in perspective, moving away from monoculture-dominated landscapes towards more diverse and resilient agroecosystems. Creating corridors of natural habitat allows pollinators to move freely, maintaining genetic diversity and ensuring they can access resources across a wider area. These changes can lead to better crop yields and higher-quality harvests, demonstrating that ecological health and agricultural profitability are not mutually exclusive.

Government programmes and non-profits are increasingly offering support for farmers who wish to adopt these practices. By investing in pollinator habitats, we can support the natural workforce that underpins our food system. While technology will undoubtedly play a role in the future of farming, the buzz of a healthy bee population remains the sweetest sound in any field. The challenge is to create a future where both bees and bots can thrive.