Without bees, there can be no almonds. Bees visit each almond bud grown in these 250,000 almond orchards once or more; pollination of each acre requires two hives. Simply put, bees and almonds depend on each other to thrive. What do almonds and bees have in common? Between February and March each year, almond tree buds burst into beautiful light pink and white blooms in preparation for pollination.

Share on linkedin. February 8, 2018 by Dan Wyns. Nothing to the average consumer. But headlines claiming that almonds kill bees are misleading. Last week, The Guardian posted an article regarding the relationship between the growth of almond milk consumption and its effect on pollinator health. But commercial beekeepers in California — where 80% of the world’s almond supply is produced according to the the Almond Board of California’s Almond Almanac — see the almond industry as vital to keeping their businesses alive.. And it may have negative effects for bees. In fact, each of California’s nearly 1 million acres of almond orchards requires two hives. It begins in late January and lasts less than a month. Share on pinterest. Almond growers and beekeepers are responsible for creating an environment that allows pollinator honey bees to do what almond trees need most — pollinate. 5:56.

Share on email. “The bees like working on the almonds,” says Arp. How California Almonds Are Killing Bees. Share on twitter. Almond trees aren’t responsible for killing the bees; pesticides and large-scale industrial agriculture methods are killing them. TIME 24,292 views.

The company, which claims Pristine is harmless to bees, sent representatives to the county to collect almond pollen samples. What do almonds and bees have in common? But commercial beekeepers in California — where 80% of the world’s almond supply is produced according to the the Almond Board of California’s Almond Almanac — see the almond industry as vital to keeping their businesses alive.. And it may have negative effects for bees. Over the last decade, almonds got insanely popular, and farmers in California kept planting more almond trees, more trees than California bees could possibly pollinate. There's been a lot of buzz over bees and the almond industry. Almonds are California’s most important crop, valued at $5.33 billion in 2015. “The bees in the almond groves are being exploited and disrespected,” Patrick Pynes, an organic beekeeper who teaches environmental studies at Northern Arizona University, reportedly said. Although almonds can be pollinated by many insects, they are heavily dependent on honey bees. Blossom Buddies: The Epic Pollination of California's Almonds (Growing California) - … Almonds depend on bees and bees depend on almonds. Almond orchards help strengthen commercial beehives because the trees provide honey bees with their first natural food source each spring.

In fact, the link between bees and almonds is so important that the relationships between almond growers and their beekeepers often go back years or even generations.

If enough bees are present, 90 to 100% of almond flowers per tree can develop into nutlets (the first stage in nut development), but none will develop if no bees at all visit the tree.

They are fed substitutes for their natural foods of pollen and nectar so they will quickly repopulate the hive to be ready for almonds. The process of getting the bees to the almonds adds another stressor. Nothing to the average consumer.
“But it obviously exposes them to risks.” Now he routinely loses 30% or more of his bees a year, mirroring national statistics. Each January, the sluggish bees are prodded into action much earlier than what would be their normal routine. It’s not just honeybees that pollinate almonds. In fact, almonds are nearly 100% dependent on bees for pollination. Commercial almond growers may rent hives during the blooming season to ensure pollination success. Their blooming period is the earliest and one of the shortest among California crops. Almond Milk Industry Is Killing Billions of 'Exploited' Honey Bees: Report Sending bees to pollinate almond crops is "like sending the bees to war," one scientist said Bees And Almonds: Productive Business Partners | TIME - Duration: 5:56.

By maryam henein ; Published: May 19, 2014 ; Share on facebook.

What's Harris Woolf doing about it? But California beekeepers have only a … The Long Haul.

Beekeepers prepare a load of bees for migration which is an integral part of modern beekeeping and the agricultural systems bees and beekeepers support. Bees, Almonds, and Harris Woolf.