🐝 How Sweet Water Farms is Creating a Haven for Pollinators on the Central Coast

If you’ve visited Sweet Water Farms lately, you might have noticed a little extra buzz in the air and not just from our visitors! This season, we’ve been busy building a healthier ecosystem for both managed honeybees and native pollinators, right here on the Central Coast.

🍯 Hosting Honeybees

A friend connected us with a local beekeeper who runs a sort of “foster hive” program. We now host hives here on the farm, keeping an eye on them while the beekeeper manages their care and honey harvests. In return, we receive jars of delicious local honey and our apple trees and gardens benefit from boosted pollination.

The hives contain Apis mellifera, the Western European honeybee. Although non-native, they play a big role in California agriculture by pollinating many fruit and vegetable crops. It’s a symbiotic setup: the bees thrive in our orchards and gardens, and our plants get a little help producing the healthy fruits our visitors love.

🌸 Supporting Native Pollinators Too

Alongside the honeybee partnership, we’re also part of a Pollinator Planting Project with the Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Santa Cruz County. The goal of this initiative is to increase habitat and native plant coverage across the Central Coast, focusing on species that support native bees, butterflies, and birds.

Our plantings include perennial herbs and native grasses, with an emphasis on hyperlocal species that thrive in Watsonville’s coastal environment. These areas create year-round food and shelter for native pollinators while adding even more natural beauty to the farm.

🌿 Why It Matters

Pollinators — both native and managed — are essential to healthy farms and thriving ecosystems. They help our apples, lavender, and garden plants produce their best fruits, ensuring that Sweet Water Farms continues to grow delicious produce while nurturing local biodiversity.

We love that visitors can enjoy the benefits too: fresh fruit, buzzing gardens, and the sight (and sound) of nature in harmony. The next time you’re here, take a stroll through our gardens or orchard, and thank the bees for all their hard work!