A new Web site called BeeLinked has been launched to connect farmers with beekeepers. Farmers interested in renting bees for pollination may go online and review listings from beekeepers that are offering services.

Bees and their crucial role as pollinators are as important to fruit and vegetable farmers as the soil the plants grow in. Many growers contract with beekeepers to ensure their crops are pollinated and bear fruit. Pollinators bring their hives to fields for a specified period of time, allowing the bees to move between plants and the hives. At the end of the contract period, the beekeeper rounds up his bees and removes the hives from the fields.

The balance between the needs of growers and the availability of bees is extremely delicate, particularly as the numbers of bees in the wild have decreased and interest in beekeeping as a hobby has waned.

The site was set up N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with N.C. State University Apiculture Program, has created the program. The Web site is www.ncagr.com/beelinked. Beekeepers may complete and submit a form online with information on their services, or if they do not have Internet access, they can call 800.206.9333.