# Are there almond growers that keep honey bees on their properties year round?



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Maybe someone could comment on the spraying issues..? I hear they spray while the bees are in... is the spraying outside flowering as bad?


----------



## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

more to the point, out side of flowering what is there foe the bees to forage on, mono culture and all


----------



## Marcel2bee (Nov 30, 2017)

Growers seem to be receptive to growing other sources of forage for honey bees to feed on. I was imagining a growing operation where there are other sources of food for the honey bees/ not a mono culture at all.


----------



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Most almond growing areas are little more than deserts where almond trees bloom a few weeks a year. Spraying and constant feeding and pollen supplementing would very much be issues if bees were left year round. Hives are easily transported in and out to other more bee friendly areas.


----------



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Controlling "weeds" seems to be a typical practice for almond growers. See this UC Extension publication:
Organic weed control in almond orchards

But _weeds_, more or less, are bee forage. Finding supplemental crop(s) that doesn't reduce almond yields, offers extended bee forage availability over multiple months, and dealing with the almond fungicide sprays (considered detrimental to bees) could be serious challenges.


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Orchards are mono-culture, especially almonds. Almond trees as far as you can see. They'll have early mustard to keep the bees in the orchard just before almond bloom, but as the bloom starts the mustard gets cut out to keep the bees on the trees. For the rest of the year, no weeds or grass in the orchards. 

I suspect the reasoning is that anything growing besides the trees would be robbing soil nutrients away from the trees, so it's all kept clean for the trees. And if they are setup on drip irrigation, no water waste in the orchard space enough to grow anything, all water goes to the tree.

I live near orchard areas, almonds, walnuts, peaches, plums... All ground in orchards is kept clean, no weeds or grass. So, no forage for bees other than at bloom time as it's all corporate mono-culture.


----------



## rainesridgefarm (Sep 4, 2001)

most of the cali queen producers are involved in the almonds one way or another. Some own orchards some just put bees in them.


----------



## RAK (May 2, 2010)

I have a friend that keeps a few yards in almonds yr round. Its not an easy task when spraying. They rebound with enough pollen sub and syrup.


----------



## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

the problem with the big areas is nothing to forage on, it's miles and miles of trees, nothing else, no where else to plant enough forage for any amount of hives to make a difference. Outside of bloom the trees are hit with 2-3 fungicide sprays, and a few insecticide sprays including an IGR for some Lepidoptera and a systemic most likely for spider mites. Also, since nuts are shaken on the floor then have to be swept up into rows for gathering, they want the space between trees as clean and smooth as possible, it's not feasible to plant anything in between to have to do that much more work to pick up the nuts later.


----------



## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

I took bees to an orchard right on the edge of town by Chico for a couple of years that might have worked.
Otherwise, my calculations tell me that it would be a losing proposition.
Almost anything _CAN_ be done.
But will it be profitable or have some other advantage?


----------



## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

My main issue, I keep bees next to orchards year round, is depending on surroundings, there just isn't enough forage. I have yet to see any affects from spraying post bloom as the bees aren't in the trees anyways, but more and more trees are going in and what little forage the bees had is becoming smaller because of it....


----------



## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Marcel, 
You should ask Gordon. The story he related to me was bees in Lost Hills harvesting road tar from seal coating Hwy 46 for their propolis. That's how poor the pasture was.


----------



## Marcin (Jun 15, 2011)

JWChesnut said:


> Marcel,
> You should ask Gordon. The story he related to me was bees in Lost Hills harvesting road tar from seal coating Hwy 46 for their propolis. That's how poor the pasture was.


----------

