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Story: Stone fruit and the summerfruit industry

Sugared plum blossoms

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Sugared plum blossoms

The pollination of fruit trees relies on bees to transfer pollen from flower to flower. Trials carried out by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in the mid-1950s showed that spraying flowers with a sugar solution increased the number of bee visits from 6 to 300 within an hour. Consequently, more fruit was produced.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: AANR 6329 28 DA 39 250

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Marie Dawkins, Stone fruit and the summerfruit industry – History, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18785/sugared-plum-blossoms (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Marie Dawkins, published 1 March 2009.