80% of global almond cultivation can be found in the state of California.
Due to a decline in pollinator populations there are too many many
flowers with any of the flowers will go unpollinated. As of 2006, due to
high levels of colony collapse disorder it appeared almond cultivation
was in trouble, however, due to the growing market for almonds, it had
become feasible to
make it worthwhile for beekeepers to rent out their hives to these
almond growers for the blooming months. Many of these beekeepers heavily
rely on renting out their hives during bloom season. This is the case
as it costs $100 per year for maintenance of these hives yet the bees
will only generate roughly $50-$80 in honey. Almond growers offer an
enticing $160 per month for each hive to both the commercial and
hobbyist beekeepers from across the United States.
This
is a mutualistic relationship for all involved...... except for the
bees. Record numbers of honey bees had declined following their
transport back from California with beekeepers recording average losses
of 38% of their colonies (50 billion within 3 months in Winter of
2018/2019). The main reason believed as to why this strategy of
cultivation is detrimental to the honeybee populations is that bee
colonies from different regions of the United States are associated with
different parasites which have built up partial immunity
due to years of exposure. Individuals foreign to these pathogens had no
form of immunity. California has been described as a 'chemical soup'
due to high levels of pesticides such as clothianidin and dicamba. These
pesticides have detrimental effects on a bees immunity and reproductive
cycles. When these major implications are exposed to bees in
conjunction to one another it will cause a population to seriously
decline.
Organic
bee keepers blame this decline on the over reliance of heavy
mechanization, meanwhile, others believe a lack of preparation is
responsible. Almond growers rented a diverse range of bee breeds and it
is theorized that the European honeybee would out compete the
less diverse bees and limiting the growth of these bees. Less common
ideas for this decline is said to be a result of being out competed by
Africanized bee strains. Africanized bees had been accidentally
introduced to Brazil and are known to migrate northwards. California is
one of the few areas in the US that these bees may reside due to the
temperature and so it satisfies their fundamental niche. The Africanised
bees would colonize new hives by killing the hive's Queen and would
replace it with their Queen.
Finally,
it is possible that the ecology of California may be unsuitable for bee
survival due to the high abundance of animals (bears, honeybadgers etc)
that feed off honey and will kill the bees in the process. As the rapid
decline has only gained significant attention in the last few years,
there is a lack of research done with only hypothesis formed. These
educated guesses must be investigated greater so that it can be
prevented. Due to the large revenue almond production generates it is
unlikely that renting bees will halt and so research is vital so almond
growers and beekeepers may help silence the decline we have recently
seen.
Reference
- McGinvey, A., 2020. 'Like Sending Bees To War': The Deadly Truth Behind Your Almond Milk Obsession. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/07/honeybees-deaths-almonds-hives-aoe> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
- Jacobsen, R., 2009. Fruitless fall: the collapse of the honeybee and the coming agricultural crisis. Choice Reviews Online, 46(08), pp.46-4440-46-4440.
- Schumann, D., 1993. Income Opportunities in Special forest products. 1(1), p.134.
