Editing Pollination management (section)

{{Short description|Horticultural practices to enhance pollination}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2007}}
[[Image:Apis mellifera - Prunus padus - Keila.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|'''Honey bee on [[Prunus padus|bird cherry]]'''<br>[[Honey bee]]s are especially well adapted to collecting and moving pollen, thus are the most commonly used crop pollinators. Note the light brown [[pollen]] in the [[pollen basket]].]]
[[Image:Pumpkin pollination4365.jpg|thumb|<br>Placing honey bees for pumpkin pollination<br> Mohawk Valley, NY]]
[[Image:Date pollinator up.JPG|thumb|upright|Date pollinator up an 'Abid Rahim' palm tree]]

'''Pollination management''' is the horticultural practices that accomplish or enhance [[pollination]] of a crop, to improve yield or quality, by understanding of the particular crop's pollination needs, and by knowledgeable management of [[pollenizer]]s, [[pollinator]]s, and pollination conditions.

While people think first of the [[European honey bee]] when pollination comes up, in fact there are many different means of pollination management that are used, both other insects and other mechanisms. There are other insects commercially available that are more efficient, like the [[blue orchard bee]] for fruit and nut trees, local [[bumblebee]]s better specialized for some other crops, [[hand pollination]] that is essential for production of hybrid seeds and some greenhouse situations, and even pollination machines.