California Almonds and Honey Bees

[Ray]

Honeybee fatalities reported at close of almond bloom

http://m.westernfarmpress.com/tree-nuts/honeybee-fatalities-reported-close-almond-bloom?platform=hootsuite

Information to the CSBA suggests that beekeepers picking up their hives from almond orchards found the emerging brood in failing health or already dead. Carlen Jupe of the CSBA says the bee supply was severely short this spring and will continue to be challenged by the bloom sprays that seem to have impacted bee hives in California.

Scary!

[brooksbeefarm]

I'm surprised they had any hives to send to the Almonds in Cali. with the losses the commercial beekeepers had last winter? They don't seem to care what happens to the bees after they leave there Almond blooms or they would be more concerned about when and what sprays they use. A few keeps in our club sent there bees out there a few years ago, and said when they got them back they were in horrible shape and not the hives they sent out. It cost them more than what they made. Jack

[apisbees]

I'm surprised they had any hives to send to the Almonds in Cali. with the losses the commercial beekeepers had last winter? They don't seem to care what happens to the bees after they leave there Almond blooms or they would be more concerned about when and what sprays they use. A few keeps in our club sent there bees out there a few years ago, and said when they got them back they were in horrible shape and not the hives they sent out. It cost them more than what they made. Jack

Beekeepers for the most part do care what is sprayed on there bees during almond pollination. They go through great expense and time getting there bees healthy, requeened, and well fed going in to winter with adequate numbers of hives to cover average winter losses and still have enough hives to meet their contracts. I think some of it is because of the ignorance of the growers. They are paying hive replacement prices for the rental of pollination units so I think their attitude to wards the health of the bees and wealth of the beekeeper is they are getting paid for it. The system in place is not sustainable so something has got to change. Being short on hives for pollination for almonds and with hives suffering heavy brood losses due to the almond pollination, This could have a ripple down effect on the health and quality of bees being used for pollination of other later crops. When what is happening in the almond crops start to effect the pollination needs of other crops in all the other states across the country, maybe the other state departments of agriculture will pressure the EPA to look at the sprays being used and the way sprays are being applied.

[Perry]

Couldn't agree more with Apis.
Same situation up here. The big "stakeholders" meeting to determine whether our border was closed to SHB, was between the blueberry growers and the beekeepers. What about the NS fruit growers Association (everything else)? I don't believe they were even a part of the discussion. Not enough bees for blueberries is one thing, what about not enough bees for everything else if our bee population suffers because of the added stress?

[efmesch]

Here in Israel our spraying problems start with those that are carried out while the citrus groves are flowering, (primarily in March) .  Maximum efforts are made to alert the growers to the restrictions on spraying (insecticides that may and should not be used, acceptable methods of aplication --ground sprayers as opposed to plane spraying and night time application in preference to day time). 
In spite of all the information out there, the grove owners still prefer to do what is easiest for them and the bees suffer.