The Almond Board is reminding growers of ways they can help the honey bee population by planting forage for the bees.
Listen to the report from Almond Board Manager of Industry Relations, Carissa Sauer
From the Almond Board:
Honey bees are essential for a successful almond crop.The single most important factor determining a good yield is pollination during the bloom period, and honey bees are the most successful pollinators of almonds blossoms. Colonies of honey bees are placed in California Almond orchards at the beginning of the bloom period to ensure pollination.
A working partnership between growers and beekeepers is the basis for a successful pollination. Growers need to avoid any activities that put the health and safety of bees in their orchards at risk, and beekeepers are responsible for delivering and maintaining the requisite number and quality of hives.
Best Management Practices
As part of an ongoing commitment to honey bee health, Almond Board of California developed a comprehensive set of Honey Bee Best Management Practices (BMPs) for California’s almond industry. Developed with a wide array of input from sources including the almond community, beekeepers, researchers, California and U.S. regulators, and chemical registrants, “Honey Bee Best Management Practices for California Almonds” represents the Almond Board’s most extensive educational documents to date to ensure that almond orchards are and remain a safe and healthy place for honey bees. The documents lay out simple, practical steps that almond growers can take together with beekeepers and other pollination stakeholders to protect and promote bee health on their land and in the surrounding community.