ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Strawberries are one of the first fruits to ripen in northern Michigan.

The bees have been working hard now that the warm weather has hit Antrim County.

"We were concerned a little bit with the cold weather. Are the bees flying enough? You know, we had a lot of blossoms out here in the strawberries and you can see the some bees moving around but it wasn't really that home that you get with warm weather and tons and tons of bees,” King Orchards Orchard Manager Jack King said.

Fruits like strawberries are resilient to weather.

"They like that gradual warm up and then we had nice pollination weather for the tree fruit strawberries can be a little more resilient, especially here in Michigan because they come on a little bit later and aren't as cold sensitive,” King said.

On average, Michiganders eat about three and a half pounds of strawberries per year.

With u-pick season in full swing, you need to search carefully in the fields for the perfect ripe berries.

"They do take a little searching. When you're looking for that perfect strawberry,” King said. “You want one that's deep red, all the way around. Often, you'll pick one up and it'll be light on the bottom side. Which means it needs another day or two."

And morning is the perfect time for picking.

"I like to come out in early morning when it's not quite as hot. You can hang out underneath some of our nice pink cherry tree that are a little shady,” King said. “But it can get sunny in the afternoon. So I like that early morning. very picky myself."

The crop overall this year is looking good.

"We're in a really good place this year. Just because the last two years have been a crop failure for Montmorency tart cherries where we just haven't had any at all,” King said. “In this year, we're seeing a very nice crop of Montmorency tart cherries."

King Orchards opened for u-pick strawberries and will be open now through the Fourth of July.