Bee decline still baffles scientists, worries growers

The beleaguered honeybees are back, working to pollinate another almond crop despite a population decline that still baffles scientists.

The bloom began in earnest this week in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. It's a crucial time each year for a crop that is second only to milk in gross farm income in the region.

"The trees are just starting to explode everywhere," said Orin Johnson, a Hughson- area beekeeper who rents hives for pollination. "If we have good weather, we could easily get a good crop again."

The bloom is about two weeks later than usual, grower Dick Braden said during a tour of his orchards east of Hickman last week.

It was raining then, and the bees were idle. This week's sunshine has prompted them to leave their hives and fly from flower to flower with the pollen that starts development of the nuts.

Central Valley growers supply 80 percent of the world's almonds. To do this, they rent about two-thirds of the nation's commercial beehives each February.

In the past few years, bee numbers have been dropping, a problem that scientists call colony collapse disorder. One survey found that 23 percent of U.S. beekeepers were affected, with losses ranging from mild to complete.

There is no estimate of how many colonies have survived from fall, but experts said the die-off likely will go on.

"There are still continuing problems with bees and bee health," said Johnson, the 2007 president of the California State Beekeepers Association.

Researchers say the die-off could have a number of causes, including diseases, mites, drought, cold snaps, heat waves and poisoning by pesticides.

Almond growers say they hope that 2008 is like last year, when they got a record crop of about 1.3 billion pounds despite the bee shortage. The bees that did show up had the right weather at the right time to get the job done.

Temperatures have to be above 55 degrees for the flowers to shed pollen and the bees to take flight, said Eric Mussen, a researcher at the University of California at Davis.

This week has had highs in the 60s, and even 70s, and the same is forecast for next week.

"The bees are going to be out there -- working, working, working -- and as long as there's any pollen left in the tree, they're going to go after it," Mussen said.

He and Johnson said beekeepers are trying to preserve their colonies with measures such as treating for mites in autumn and heavier feedings of pollen substitutes when the natural food is not available.

The shortage has raised the rental cost to about $150 per hive, more than triple the cost of a few years ago. Growers typically use two to three hives per acre.

Braden, who runs one of the valley's largest operations, said the bee cost is added to other rising costs, such as for fertilizer.

The prices growers get for a pound of almonds have moderated -- no longer the $3-plus of 2005, but still much better than the sub-$1 that squeezed them early this decade.

More acreage is being put into almonds, putting more demand on the bees and more pressure on scientists probing the die-off.

The plight of the bees has prompted Häagen-Dazs to pledge $250,000 for this research. The company buys about 1 million pounds of almonds a year for its premium ice cream, along with several fruits pollinated by bees.

"We want to avert a crisis," said Katty Pien, brand director for Häagen-Dazs in the United States.

The money, from sales of bee-dependent flavors, will be donated to researchers at UC Davis and Pennsylvania State University.

Burt's Bees, a maker of natural products for skin and hair care, launched a similar campaign in November.

These efforts could educate consumers about the importance of bees to agriculture, said Richard Waycott, president and chief executive officer of the Almond Board of California, based in Modesto.

"There are lots of creatures and people out there doing things every day to put food on your plate," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.

This story was originally published March 1, 2008 at 4:49 AM with the headline "Bee decline still baffles scientists, worries growers."