Almonds and bees, nature’s perfect duo, are back together as California’s almond orchards burst into bloom. As the trees blossom, honey bees get their first food source of the year as they collect pollen and nectar across our orchards. When the bees move from tree to tree, they pollinate almond blossoms along the way. Each fertilized flower will grow into an almond.
And just like almonds are a nutritious snack for us, almond pollen is very nutritious for honey bees, providing all ten of the amino acids their diets require. Honey bee hives routinely leave stronger after visiting during almond bloom. After almonds, beekeepers bring their bees to different locations across the United States, pollinating more than 90 other crops and making honey.
In addition to all the work we have previously done, we are working to diversity and expand the nutritious forage that honey bees find in almond orchards each year while extending our efforts outside the orchard to benefit native pollinators too.