Spend a couple days driving on county roads around I5 and Hwy 99 in the Central Valley of California, and you
can feel the excitement! Semi-load trucks are
delivering over 400 hives each near orchards. Here are
five February facts for you: 1) Commercially-managed
bees are just about ready for the biggest pollination
event ON EARTH, 2) Over 3,500 truckloads of bees have crossed the border into California for the event, 3)
Almonds will require 1.7 million colonies this season, 4)
If over-wintering losses for honey bees are hovering
about the same as previous years (30%), almond
pollination requires nearly ALL available commercially-managed colonies, and 5) Some lucky bees have
been able to forage on PAm's Mustard Mix and thus will not starve prior to bloom! Last year, we sadly
reported that the drought had prevented or delayed emergence of much of our pre-almond bloom
flowering plants. This year, though the drought continues, we can happily report we are on target in
many areas, with some rain falling at the right time so bees are enjoying planted forage during the usual
pre-almond dearth. Enjoy this issue of the PAm enewsletter where we focus on the big event about to happen in California!
Christi Heintz, Executive Director
