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From Wikipedia: The pollination of California's almonds is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world, with close to one million hives (nearly h
by abakker 11y ago
From Wikipedia:
The pollination of California's almonds is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world, with close to one million hives (nearly half of all beehives in the USA) being trucked in February to the almond groves. Much of the pollination is managed by pollination brokers, who contract with migratory beekeepers from at least 49 states for the event. This business has been heavily affected by colony collapse disorder, causing nationwide shortages of honey bees and increasing the price of insect pollination...
Does anyone feel that transporting livestock from this many places to a single place where they can all commingle is a needlessly risky strategy? Assuming that CCD is caused by pesticides, this seems to guarantee exposure to a large number of bees that might otherwise live in pesticide-free areas. Additionally, if CCD has a fungal/parasitic component, then this would be an ideal way to infect as many hives as possible, in as short a time as possible.
- tedunangst 11y agoWow. 49 states implies that at least one of Alaska or Hawaii is involved.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 11y agoWhy would you be surprised that they grow things in Hawaii. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_B._Dole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_B._Dole
- zevyoura 11y agoThe surprising part is that they're shipping live bees back and forth overseas.
- pdknsk 11y agoThis is shown in detail in the Swiss documentary More Than Honey. http://morethanhoneyfilm.com/ http://morethanhoneyfilm.com/
- STRiDEX 11y agothe beekeepers are what migrate
- abakker 11y agoDo beekeepers not bring their own bees with them though? It seems like unless they bring bees, there isn't much point to the migration...