Whole Foods Market announced a new pollinator policy for its Fresh Produce and Floral purchasing to support pollinators in recognition of the critical role they play in our food system and the environment. The company has long championed pollinator health through its commitment to organic agriculture, which prohibits toxic persistent pesticides.

As part of the new pollinator policy, by 2025, the company will:

• Require all fresh produce and floral growers to implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system, which prioritizes preventative and biological pest control measures and reduces the need for chemical pesticides.
• Prohibit the use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam) in all potted plants they sell.
• Encourage all fresh produce and floral suppliers to phase out the use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids.

In addition to honeybees, Whole Foods Market recognizes native pollinators, such as bumble bees, wasps, and butterflies, are critical to the food system and an important indicator of biodiversity.

“We understand the important role pollinators play in our food system and, through this policy, will build on our long legacy of supporting biodiversity and pollinator health,” said Karen Christensen, senior vice president, Perishables & Quality Standards at Whole Foods Market. “This is another critical step forward in our journey of climate-smart agriculture as part of our purpose to nourish people and the planet.”

The company engages its foundations and internationally recognized third parties to create campaigns that raise awareness of pollinators and their impact. In addition, its Whole Kids Bee Grant Program helps schools and non-profit organizations receive support for educational beehives and bee programming so students can observe bees up close and learn more about the vital role of pollinators. Since 2014, the Whole Kids Bee Grant program has awarded more than 850 educational beehives to schools and nonprofits with support from The Bee Cause Project.

Whole Foods Market continues to work across the industry to encourage all fresh produce and floral suppliers to phase out the use of nitroguanidine neonicotinoids, which are particularly harmful to pollinators, and pave the way for other solutions. Whole Foods Market suppliers like Rainier Fruit continue to demonstrate their commitment to advancing pollinator health by maintaining 150 acres of dedicated pollinator habitat, in addition to 325 acres of Bee Better Certified® orchard in partnership with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

“Every single piece of fruit we grow requires pollination. We wouldn’t have a crop without honeybees, so pollinator health is of utmost importance for us as farmers,” said Mark Zirkle, president of Rainier Fruit. “We’re appreciative of Whole Food’s advocacy and look forward to continued efforts towards more sustainable agriculture.”

For more information on how Whole Foods Market is protecting pollinators and raising awareness for the critical role they play in our lives, visit https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-in-action/environmental-stewardship/pollinator-health.

About Whole Foods Market

For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/whole-foods-market-unveils-new-pollinator-health-policy-for-fresh-produce-floral/

Emily Baron Cadloff

Bees and other pollinators are a hardworking but often forgotten backbone of our food system. In order to get everywhere they need to be, beekeepers travel with hives for nearly half the year.

Photography by Shutterstock

Every spring, beekeepers across the country ready their hives for the long drive west.

As California almond growers ready their groves for the incoming blossoms, a deluge of honey bees converges on the state—nearly two million hives worth. With roughly 1.5 million acres of almonds to pollinate, it takes a lot of bees to get those almonds ready to grow. After spending about two weeks in California, the bees pack up and hit the road again, ready for their next destination. This is just the first stop in an annual cross-country work trip.

They’ll hit blueberries in North Carolina and apples in Michigan, watermelon in Florida and pumpkins in New York. It’s a busy schedule and not for the faint of heart—especially when traveling in late winter to make it for those first spring blooms. “There were times when we had icy roads, and you’re trying to move equipment and materials around, and they’re shutting down roads,” says Glenn Card, vice president of Merrimack Valley Apiaries in Massachusetts. “One time it took us all day just to travel 100 miles between road closures and everything else.” Life on the road isn’t easy, no matter how small your traveling companions might be.

“These are livestock. They need water every couple of days,” says Dan Winter, president of the American Beekeeping Federation. “If you’re driving across the country and you don’t get rain, the driver has to get the hose out and actually water the bees down.” Winter says drivers hauling bees have to be experienced with handling livestock, and bees aren’t any different. “If a hive gets overheated on the truck, then, obviously, the bees aren’t really going to be up to shape to pollinate when they get where they’re going. It takes some practice and some time to get good at it.”

Photography by Shutterstock.

The bees travel in their hives on flatbed trucks, under layers of netting, in an effort to keep as many bees together as possible. A healthy colony has between 30,000 and 50,000 bees in it, with a queen able to lay up to 3,000 eggs a day. By the time the hive returns to its winter destination, nearly half of the original hive will have died off and been replaced. So, beekeepers will split hives to cover more ground as the season progresses.

“When we go to California, I kind of consider that to be the end of the year for the bees, because you’re taking last year’s bees, the ones that made it through the winter,” says Card. After California, the strongest bees get split between new hives. Some go to Louisiana for honey production, others go to New Jersey or New York for pollination and then on to Massachusetts. But the timing all depends on the weather. “This year, for example, we were in New York, which came on really fast and we had that hot spell of 80 degrees. And then it was another week and a half before Massachusetts really started going. Apples are a fast bloom. So, we have to do a lot of manipulation in the timing.”

Nearly 90 percent of all plants require pollinators to reproduce. Honey bees alone pollinate 80 percent of all flowering plants, more than 130 fruits and vegetables. As bees (and other pollinators) travel from flower to flower, pollen from one flower will stick to their little bodies and get transported to another flower. That new flower is now fertilized, which is how it produces fruit and seeds. But disease, loss of habitat for native pollinators and a warming climate have led bee species to plummet, with the number of managed bee colonies declining steadily since 1960. That means there is more demand on the bees–and beekeepers–that are available today.

Card is a third-generation beekeeper, and he now runs the apiary with his brother. In addition to the apples in the northeast, Card’s bees also travel to Maine to pollinate blueberries and then head up and down the East Coast to cranberry bogs. After all of that is done, the bees are off duty and overwinter in Louisiana.

Bees don’t hibernate, per se, but they do have a dormant period. They’ll still fly most days, but when there’s very little forage in the dead of winter, they will stay clustered together to conserve energy and keep their temperatures consistent. “They’ll send out scout bees, and if there’s nothing there, they just get to hunker down,” says Card.

There are about 125,000 beekeepers in the US, but the majority of those are backyard keepers, with fewer than 25 hives each. For those folks who want the benefits of bees without the work, there are rent-a-hive services, where the bees will come to you.

Mike James, owner and head beekeeper of Kinnikinnick Bees in Wisconsin, does what he calls “micro-disbursement.” Rather than sending his bees thousands of miles each year, they have a much shorter commute. “People pay lawn care companies to come in and manage their property,” says Jamess, and this is the same idea but with bees. “Our customers range from people that have 40-acre hobby farms to…people right in downtown Minneapolis.”

James and his bees service most of Wisconsin and Minnesota at the moment, but he is looking at a possible expansion to surrounding states. However, with most customers getting only a hive or two at a time, there are a lot of little details to look after, especially in urban centers. “They require flyway barriers, and to make sure there’s water, make sure they’re being provided a scope of work and management practices for the hive itself. Sometimes, there are fees and permits involved. I would say probably the most frustrating part of our job is all of the different regulations. There are still some townships and cities that don’t allow urban beekeeping.”

However, there are definite benefits to a smaller delivery and travel area with James’s bees. “We’re moving maybe 100, 200 miles at most. Because there are single hives in place, the concern for disease spread to other areas isn’t quite as great as it is with commercial beekeeping. That said, we still keep tight control on the health of each hive and won’t move anything if it’s unhealthy,” says James. There are limits to how many hives people can host in certain locations for both safety and density. Each spot needs at least 20 feet of clearance and an area with low traffic.

Plus, prospective hive owners or renters need to be prepared for possible hive thefts. In California last year, more than 1000 hives were reported stolen within a few weeks of early spring, prompting owners to install GPS and tracking devices on their hives. Fewer bees globally means a higher demand and lower supply, which could be contributing to a higher risk of theft.

But the benefit of bringing in pollinators is obvious from the first taste, says Card. A mono-floral honey, meaning a honey made from a single nectar source in a geographic region, has a distinct taste. “We have 10 different varieties that we sell currently,” says Card, “to establish that honey is more than just a sweetener.” For Card, distinct honeys are like spices, to be deployed in different dishes and in different amounts to get unique tastes.

It makes all the travel, pollination and planning worth it, says Winter. “Beekeeping is agriculture. We’re in the back; we’re not in the forefront of agriculture. But we’re a crucial part of agriculture.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Six Months on the Road: Inside the World of Migratory Beekeeping – Modern Farmer

By Maiya Fleck

MANDAN, N.D. (KFYR) – For 18 consecutive years, North Dakota has ranked first in the nation for honey production, according to the USDA.

Though they are small in size, bees play a big role in food production, but populations are at risk.

These busy bees play a larger role than some might think. Honey bees are a vital part of our lives, and without them, the North Dakota economy, food production, and commercial goods would suffer.

Beekeeper Jess Gifford works with a colony of people for his company “Who’s Your Honey” in Mandan. Gifford said he’s passionate about doing his part to keep this country well-fed.

“I was told the other day a cantaloupe needs to be pollinated 14 times. So that means 14 visits to each flower just to produce,” said Gifford.

The USDA says honey bees alone pollinate 80 percent of flowering plants like sunflowers and 130 different types of fruits and vegetables.

April Johnson, an extension pollinator technician at NDSU, said bee populations nationwide have been dwindling for multiple reasons including colony collapse disorder, varroa mite infestations and habitat loss. Moving bees around the country can impact their immune systems and diet changes.

The decline of hives is always a worry for beekeepers like Gifford. He moves his bees to Louisiana and California during the winter months.

“These viruses have been so detrimental to us. We used to take the bees, 50 years ago, we would just leave them here and wrap them in insulation,” said Gifford.

He said the bees also boost the North Dakota economy by bringing beekeepers to the state.

“Two and a half million hives roughly go to California, but here there are eight hundred and some thousand hives, we are told by the state. They come here for the honey production and pollination, and we need the honey,” said Gifford.

Bees at ‘Who’s Your Honey’ in Mandan(KFYR-TV)

Beekeepers like Gifford have adapted and after two bad years, he feels 2023 is going to be a good year for production.

After the bees do their work on the prairie, he brings them back to the shop to collect honey and wax.

He uses the bees for honey, beeswax, pollen and also as pollinators in California.

North Dakota beekeepers produced 28.3 million pounds of honey in 2021, according to the USDA. There are many nationwide efforts for people to preserve bee populations like SaveTheBees.com.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: North Dakota honey bees are ‘buzzy’ playing a big role (kfyrtv.com)

PRESS RELEASE

HTF Market Intelligence

Photo by Matthias Münning on Unsplash

According to HTF Market Intelligence, the Global Honey food market to witness a CAGR of 4.2% during forecast period of 2023-2028. The market is segmented by Global Honey Food Market Breakdown by Application (Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Others) by Type (Table Honey, Cooking Ingredient Honey) by Distribution Channel (Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Specialty Stores, Others) by Packaging Type (Bottle, Jar, Tube, Tub, Others) and by Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA). The Honey food market size is estimated to increase by USD 2.6 Billion at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2023 to 2028. The report includes historic market data from 2017 to 2022E. Currently, market value is pegged at USD 8.9 Billion.

HTF Market Intelligence published a new research publication on Honey food Market Insights, to 2028″ with 150+pages and enriched with self-explained Tables and charts in presentable format. In the Study you will find new evolving Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities generated by targeting market associated stakeholders. The growth of the Honey food market was mainly driven by the increasing R&D spending across the world, however latest scenario and economic slowdown have changed complete market dynamics. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Barkman Honey, LLC (United States), Bee Maid Honey Limited (Canada), Billy Bee Honey Products Company (Canada), Capilano Honey Limited (Australia), Comvita Limited (New Zealand), Dabur India Limited (India), Dalian Sangdi Honeybee Co., Ltd. (China), Beeyond the Hive (United States), Lamex Foods (United States), Hi-Tech Natural Products (India).

Definition:
Honey foods are defined as foods that have some honey as an ingredient. By gathering nectar from flowers, honeybees create honey, a naturally sweet food. It is a natural phenomenon for honeybees to produce honey. The bees help store the honey as a food source in their wax honeycombs within beehives. Honey-containing foods are very effective in nature because they provide the meal a natural sweetness and protect consumers from artificial sweeteners. Consuming foods with honey in them can help fend against and treat diseases like cancer. A surge in consumer interest in consuming meals cooked with honey throughout the world is driving the market for honey-based cuisine.

Honey food Market will witness a 4.2% CAGR, Top Key Players and Forecast to 2028 (digitaljournal.com)

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/htf-market-intelligence/honey-food-market-will-witness-a-4-2-cagr-top-key-players-and-forecast-to-2028#ixzz880N3RpmC

Darko Mandich, creator of a plant-based honey called Mellody, recently appeared on the PBN podcast

BY POLLY FOREMAN

Despite what many people think, honey is not an environmentally friendly food choice

The creator of the “world’s first” plant-based honey replica has described the honey industry as one of the “biggest” examples of greenwashing that exists.

Darko Mandich recently appeared on an episode of the Plant Based News podcast with Robbie Lockie. The Serbian entrepreneur is known for founding a company called MeliBio. The company makes what’s thought to be the first ever vegan honey – named Mellody – with the same molecular composition as honey made from bees.

Mandich worked for a number of conventional food conglomerates in Eastern Europe before entering the plant-based space. He specialized in the honey industry, but became increasingly concerned about the huge environmental costs of exploiting bees to create the food. “The biggest impact that honey production has is the impact it has on our biodiversity,” he told Lockie. “Learning about that was something that was kind of an epiphany moment for me.”

Mellody/Evan SungMellody is said to look and taste just like real honey

The environmental impact of honey

Many people believe that honey production benefits the environment, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Honey comes from just one bee species, the apis mellifera (also known as the western honey bee). Artificially breeding these bees and introducing them to non-native lands reaps havoc on local ecosystems, meaning other bee species decline. Due to their efficiency at collecting pollen, the honey bees remove natural resources that wild species depend on.

“Learning about [the honey industry’s] impact was a difficult one for me,” Mandich said. “The honey industry narrative was: ‘The more honey you sell, the more bees will get to work. By employing the bees you’re giving them a life.’ That narrative is one of the biggest lies that exists today. Making honey using honey bees is one of the biggest greenwashing that exists today.”

Is plant-based honey the future?

Despite its huge ethical costs, honey is big business across the world. The global honey market is worth $10 billion, and it’s projected to grow to $15 billion in the next few years. As well as being sold as a standalone product, honey is often found as an ingredient in foods, drinks, and cosmetics all over the world.

As we battle an ever-worsening climate crisis, Mandich’s company could provide a more viable alternative to honey made from bees. Founded in 2020, MeliBio delivers what it calls “the future of honey,” which is said to be “sustainable, delicious, nutritious, and animal-free.” The product has the same molecular composition as honey, and the company uses plant science and fermentation to mimic the process by which bees create it, but without use of the animal.

The company is based in Oakland, California. It initially created its product for B2B customers and food service. In March 2022, the company secured $5.7 million in a funding round to commercialize its first line of plant-based honey.

‘We can learn so much’

The general public often tends to think of insects like bees as lacking in sentience and personalities, which means many don’t think twice about exploiting them for personal gain. But Mandich is passionate about shutting these stereotypes down.

“We see them from afar, we are kind of scared of them, we see how they operate,” he said. “They move in a certain direction, do the dance, and interact. But once you get to see a bee very close, you start to realize there are different species of bees, and how maybe the same species of two bumble bees also look somewhat differently. We can learn so much from the bees, we just need to start looking at them closely.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://plantbasednews.org/news/economics/vegan-honey-creator-industry-greenwashing/

Harvest 2023 expected to be down 3 percent from last year after a stormy bloom.

MODESTO, Calif. – The 2023 California Almond Subjective Forecast published Friday by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) estimates that the crop harvested in 2023 will come in at 2.50 billion pounds, 3 percent below last year’s 2.57 billion pounds.

Forecasted yield is 1,810 pounds per acre, down 90 pounds from 2022 and the lowest since 2005.

“A lower crop estimate was not unexpected considering all that growers dealt with last year and during this year’s bloom,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California (ABC). “The cold, wet weather kept bees in their hives and reduced the hours they could pollinate orchards. In the past three years, growers have faced high costs, shipping issues, drought and more. But the water picture is better, at least for this year, shipping continues at record levels and global demand continues to grow. California’s almond farmers are prepared to meet that global demand.”

The report said: “Record rainfall and unprecedented stormy conditions impacted pollination. Limited bee flight hours were reported in all growing regions. There were reports of downed trees due to high winds and oversaturated soil. Yields are expected to be the lowest in years, with variation observed across varieties and orchard locations. Colder than normal temperatures continued through March and April, resulting in a delayed crop.”

The Subjective Forecast is the first of two production reports from USDA-NASS for the coming crop year. It is an estimate based on opinions from a survey conducted from April 19 to May 6 of 500 randomly selected California almond growers. The sample of growers, which changes every year, is spread across regions and different sized operations, and they had the option to report their data by mail, online or phone.

On July 7, USDA-NASS will release its second production estimate, the 2023 California Almond Objective Report, which is based on actual almond counts in nearly 1,000 orchards using a more statistically rigorous methodology to determine yield.

This Subjective Forecast comes two weeks after USDA-NASS released the 2022 California Almond Acreage Report which found total almond acreage had dropped in 2022 to 1.63 million, 1.2 percent down from 1.65 million in 2021. It also estimated 1.38 million bearing acres in 2023, up from 2022’s estimate of 1.35 million bearing acres.

USDA-NASS conducts the annual Subjective Forecast, Objective Report and Acreage Report to provide the California almond industry with the data needed to make informed business decisions. These reports are the official industry crop estimates.

For More Information

Rick Kushman
Media Relations Manager
Almond Board of California
rkushman@almondboard.com
(916) 716-9900

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: USDA Forecasts Smaller Almond Crop (almonds.com)

• by croatiaweek

Tvrtko Matijević (Photo credit: Nikola Zoko/Promo PR)

It is known that bee venom helps with inflammatory conditions and increases microcirculation of the blood by 200 times. It also works like natural Botox, tightening facial skin, smoothing wrinkles, and stimulating collagen production.

We spoke to Tvrtko Matijević, a Croatian beekeeper and owner of the BeeVenom brand, which has official certification for producing the highest quality bee venom and bee venom-based products in the world.

Matijević grew up in Zagreb with a love of nature and the countryside. He attended an agricultural school and graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb. During his high school years, he had a mishap while helping a friend move bees from one location to another, which resulted in 46 bee stings.

“That story is actually very interesting. A friend asked me to help him move bees from an acacia pasture to a linden pasture in Virovitica, and at the time I only had a torn beekeeping suit with lots of holes. The night was extremely steamy and the bees quite aggressive, so during the migration phase I ‘earned’ as many as 46 stings. The scenes were comical – you carry a beehive with 60,000 bees in it, they sting you, and you can’t take the beehive because then the situation would be 100 times worse,” he told us.

Despite this incident, he became interested in beekeeping and eventually grew his hobby from three hives to 150.

When Matijević began beekeeping, his main focus was on producing bee venom, though he also considered other bee products.

In 2015, he developed a unique technology for extracting bee venom and received confirmation from the Dr. Andrija Štampar Institute that his product was the highest quality bee venom in the world. This encouraged him to develop a brand, and in 2021, BeeVenom products were launched on the Croatian market.

BeeVenom products are made with bee venom that contains 70% melittin, a protein that is responsible for the benefits of bee venom.

“Bee venom has been known throughout the world since ancient times. For example, the bee venom produced in the world contains 45-55% melittin, while our bee venom produced with my technology, where no bees were harmed at any time, contains 70% melittin,” he says.

Melittin is known to destroy cancer cells, boost the immune system, and reduce inflammation. Bee venom is also known to work as a natural Botox, tightening the skin, smoothing wrinkles, and stimulating collagen production.

The BeeVenom brand is unique because of its high-quality bee venom and the innovative technology used to extract it.

To read the complete article go to;

Meet the Croatian beekeeper behind the world’s best bee venom | Croatia Week

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Meet the Croatian beekeeper behind the world’s best bee venom | Croatia Week

To find Jim Hodder, owner of Eden Valley Honey, drive east on Haystack Butte Road about a mile and a half, then turn right at the big cottonwood stump.

Beyond the stump, about a dozen white-faced ewes — lambs in tow — are loose among a maze of corrals and outbuildings.

Hodder, 78, sits down on a diamond plate toolbox to take a load off and explain how he built a premium honey business in Sweetwater County over the past 50 years.

A bum lamb nibbles on a piece of orange bailing twine at his feet, reluctant to leave his side. In the background, a tiger-striped barn cat dives into a pile of straw and comes out with a fat mouse.

Hodder is a friendly fellow, but he’s lukewarm at best about being featured by Cowboy State Daily. That’s because every drop that comes out of his honey processing plant (aka, the honey house) is already spoken for.

Publicity is the last thing he needs.

Fine Honey Is Like Fine Wine

“Honey is a little bit like wine,” he said. “Not everyone’s palate is the same, but most people like the lighter-colored, sweeter honey. Some honey tastes sweet, but it will have an aftertaste. We don’t get that here and that’s one reason why our honey is so popular.”

Hodder started propagating bees in the early 1970s because he wanted to be more self-sufficient. Most of what he eats and feeds his family comes from his farm. He also raises laying hens, raises and butchers his own beef and lamb, and grows vegetables in a greenhouse.

Another important factor that sets Eden Valley Honey apart is the roughly 2.4 million bees working overtime to haul in the nectar from alfalfa and sweet clover in this part of north Sweetwater County.

For 50 years, Jim Hodder has been producing his Eden Valley Honey. (Cowboy State Daily Staff)

Better Bees

In more temperate climates, bees have months to do their work. But at this elevation (6,580 feet) the season is short, and plants only produce nectar for about six weeks. When nighttime temperatures drop below 50 degrees, plants don’t produce much nectar, Hodder said.

The bees must be in good shape when they arrive because they don’t have much time to complete their important work.

In his first year, Hodder said he had three hives that yielded about 200 pounds of honey. Over the years his production has increased to about 20,000 pounds a year.

Honey production correlates with bee reproduction, and when hives reproduce too fast it causes the bees to swarm. When they swarm, that means they have outgrown their hives and they go looking for a new place to live.

The best queen bees will produce up to 3,500 eggs per day. For optimal honey production, the hives ride a fine line that means the bees need to be in good shape, but not too good, he said.

“If your bees aren’t in shape when they get here you don’t get a good honey crop,” Hodder said. “You need your bees at full strength, but not too strong or they will swarm. To make them strong you manipulate. If you have a weak hive, you even them up by moving some bees in.”

Hodder further explained that some queens are better than others, and as a beekeeper it’s important to select queens that can acclimate to their environment. That makes buying queen bees similar to buying bulls for a cattle operation.

Hit The Road

The “getting here” part is another fascinating aspect of bee propagation. The hives that produce the golden Eden Valley Honey spend most of the year in other states. They only live in Wyoming from the end of June to the middle of October.

Hodder said in mid-October the hives are loaded on trucks and hauled to a storage facility in Blackfoot, Idaho. At this point they will check the weight of the hives and provide syrup as a supplemental feed if needed.

TJ Honey in Blackfoot is a business that boards about 20,000 colonies for honey business owners from throughout the Intermountain region every winter. It’s a huge, air-conditioned warehouse that holds the hives at about 42 degrees.

The warehouse is air-conditioned because the hives produce a lot of heat, Hodder said.

“If kept at 42 degrees they are almost in suspended animation and they don’t have to move too much,” he said. “If it gets too cold, they eat a lot of honey and fan to keep the nest warm, which creates a lot of heat.”

On To California, Then Oregon

In mid-January the bees are hauled to California’s San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, where they go to work pollinating almond orchards. Hodder said almond growers pay beekeepers for this service, but  almond trees produce a limited amount of nectar that keeps the bee colonies alive but doesn’t yield much, if any, honey.

When the bees go into the pollination cycle in California there are 6,000 to 10,000 bees per hive. By the time the hives reach full strength the following summer their numbers will have increased to 60,000 bees per hive, he said.

In April, the hives are loaded up again and trucked north to Oregon, where they’ll pollinate prune orchards. While they’re in Oregon they’ll make some honey on blackberry and vetch nectar, but Hodder said the hives are reproducing fast at this point and consume most of the honey they produce.

Back To Wyoming

Then in late June the trucks are loaded again and the two-day, 1,100-mile trip back to Eden Valley begins.

Hauling bees on semitrucks is a time-sensitive endeavor, Hodder said. They make stops along the way and wet the hives down with water to cool them and give the bees a drink. They also cover the loads with mesh tarps to help prevent losses.

Parasitic mites are one of the biggest challenges with bee propagation. Hodder said bee numbers peak in July and begin to drop after that. They treat the hives with an antibiotic, but as bee numbers drop as part of their natural life cycle, the mite problem multiplies.

Colony collapse disorder is another concern for the bee industry. Hodder said scientists have been studying the problem and looking for solutions for the past 20 years, but they’re still uncertain of the cause.

Finally, The Honey

After harvest, the honey is put through an extractor to remove wax, then it’s heated to about 125 degrees and bottled. Too much heat turns the honey dark. Raw honey is heated to 90 degrees before bottling and it contains some pollen.

Hodder added that he only eats raw honey because its better for you from a health perspective. His theory is the pollen in raw honey works like a vaccine against allergies and he has customers that seek it out for that reason.

Hodder said it’s difficult to hire people to work with bees because stings are frequent and working with bees swarming around your head can be unnerving.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/05/07/50-years-of-sweet-success-for-wyomings-eden-valley-honey/

By Scott Weybright, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

A massively destructive hurricane in Florida last year, a very stormy winter in California, and higher than average colony losses mean that 2023 is positioned to be a bad year for honey bees.

“I talked with a beekeeper recently who hadn’t lost more than 20% of his colonies in several years but lost 90% of his bees this year,” said Tim Lawrence, a recently retired Washington State University Extension associate professor who worked with the insects. “And he’s far from alone. I’ve heard from many beekeepers suffering high losses this year.”

Lawrence wrote about the potentially bad year for WSU Tree Fruit Extension’s website.

The decrease is likely due to viruses exacerbated by varroa destructor mites, the main cause for honey bee decline, Lawrence said. The mites kill honey bee brood (pupae and larvae), introduce numerous viruses, and severely weaken adult bees and their immune systems, making them more prone to disease.

WSU scientists have several research projects involving varroa mites, honey bee reproduction and mating, plus beekeeping workshops and other supports to help the industry pollinate crops around Washington.

In most years, beekeepers who experienced significant losses would resupply by purchasing the insects from beekeepers in Florida. Unfortunately, the bee population in the Sunshine State took a massive hit from Hurricane Ian last year, limiting the supply.

Generally, the pollinator season starts in late February in California almond groves. Beekeepers from around the country bring their bees west to pollinate these early-blooming trees. But the steady series of atmospheric rivers dumping significant rain on California has limited the number of flying days bees have had to pollinate.

Bees generally fly when temperatures are above 54 degrees and winds aren’t too strong. The limited flying days also impact honey bee queens because they mate in the air. Less flight time means less mating, which means fewer and delayed bees and queens for sale that beekeepers rely upon.

“It’s been brutal,” Lawrence said. “Beekeepers are used to adapting, but getting hit from so many angles is a huge challenge.”

And all that could impact Washington crops that depend on hiring the domesticated pollinators.

“If I had an apple, pear, or cherry orchard, I wouldn’t wait to contact your beekeeper this year,” Lawrence said. “A lot can happen between now and when those crops bloom, but early crops could really be impacted. For growers back east, it’s likely there may not be any bees for the blueberry season.”

On the flip side, the unusually wet winter in California could lead to a phenomenal honey crop.

“Seeing the mountains and hills down there, the snow melt will probably lead to a tremendous flower bloom,” Lawrence said. “There may be fewer bees, but those present will have plenty of food to collect.”

Honey bees can have a big impact on wallets. For consumers, fewer bees for pollinating could lead to fewer apples or cherries in stores. That leads to higher prices for the fruit that does make it to market.

“Bees have had a tough time this year,” Lawrence said. “Beekeepers are good at keeping them going, but it’s the biggest challenge I’ve seen since at least 2005, when we started to witness major losses of honey bee colonies.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: For honey bees, 2023 is potentially a bad year – WSU Insider

BY AMY TAXIN

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TERRY CHEA AP
Beekeeper Gene Brandi tends to his hives at a cherry tree orchard Thursday in San Juan Bautista.

During California’s prolonged, wet winter, beekeeper Gene Brandi said he had to spend twice as much money on a sugary syrup to feed his honeybees and keep them alive.

That’s because the bees sent to pollinate blooming almond orchards took longer than usual to emerge from their hives due to chilly temperatures, wind and rain. Since the bees weren’t out gathering nectar and pollen for nourishment, the 71-year-old beekeeper provided sustenance for them.

“We probably fed twice as much than we’ve fed in a normal year,” said Brandi, of the Central Valley community of Los Banos. “It’s expensive to feed, but it’s more expensive if the hive dies.”

The challenge is one of many faced by America’s beekeepers following the unusually wet winter that ravaged California’s farm country, which feeds much of the nation. Most commercial beekeepers send their bees to California early in the year to help pollinate its $5 billion-a-year almond crop, then move them elsewhere to pollinate commodities ranging from avocados to cherries or to the Midwest to produce honey.

The state was battered this winter by at least a dozen atmospheric rivers — long plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean — as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that produced blizzard conditions in mountainous areas. The wintry weather flooded homes, triggered power outages and brought much-needed rain to drought-parched agriculture, though in some cases, more water than the crops could withstand.

It also took a toll on bees, who were slow to emerge from their hives during the cold front and weeks of showers.

Almond growers say it’s too soon to know if the delay in the bees’ emergence will hurt the state’s nut crop, which accounts for about 80% of the world’s almonds, according to the Almond Board of California. With a slight reduction in almond acreage following three years of drought and the intense winter, it’s possible there will be fewer nuts this year than last, which was a boom year for the crop, said Rick Kushman, a spokesperson for the state Almond Board.

Almond trees depend on bees for cross-pollination, and bees in turn feed on almond pollen, which helps sustain the hives throughout the bloom. While many people keep bees as a hobby, commercial beekeepers may have hundreds of hives and relocate their bees to pollinate various crops in distinct seasons.

Bryan Ashurst, who sends his bees north from California’s Imperial Valley to pollinate almond trees, said some hives were washed away by flooding. He said he sent six workers to try to feed his bees during the cold snap since they weren’t out flying — something he hasn’t done in at least two decades and that cost at least $45,000.

“In bees, margins are thin, so we are putting out huge amounts of money,” he said.

Dan Winter, president of the American Beekeeping Federation, trucked his bees from Florida in late January to pollinate California’s almond orchards, which took longer than usual due to the weather. That delayed their return, so he said he now must hurry to get the hives ready to head to New York for apple tree pollination in less than a month.

“We’ve got to kick it in gear and work a little faster, a little harder,” Winter said. “It just costs a little bit.”

There may be a sweet spot for California beekeepers as the rain is expected to bring a burst of spring wildflowers, which could provide ample forage for bees and potentially translate into a good year for honey.

Brandi said he’ll take his hives to coastal areas this spring so the bees can forage on a native plant to make sage honey, a premium product that he can only make every few years when there’s ample rain.

“It is the finest honey we can make,” he said, adding that the last sage honey he has in his shop dates to 2019.

After that, Brandi, who sells honey to Bay Area buyers and a Midwest honey packer who supplies Costco, said his bees will head onward to feed on other plants and make more honey yet.

“We’ve been praying for rain for the last three dry years, and we finally have it,” he said. “It should be a wonderful spring once it warms up for the bees.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://apnews.com/article/california-storms-honeybees-a643ed7ce3a32209e339d97b8361c1c5

Companies covered in honey market are Bee Maid Honey Limited (Canada), , Comvita Limited (New Zealand), , Capilano Honey Ltd. (Australia), , Dabur India Ltd. (India), , Billy Bee Honey Products (Canada), , New Zealand Honey Co. (New Zealand), , Barkman Honey LLC (U.S.), , Yamada Bee Company (Japan), , Dutch Gold Honey Inc. (U.S.), , Golden Acres Honey (Canada) & other.

Source: Fortune Business Insights

Pune, India, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The global honey market size was valued at USD 8.17 billion in 2021. The market is expected to grow from USD 8.53 billion in 2022 to USD 12.69 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.83% during the forecast period. Rising demand for organic and healthy alternatives to sugar to propel market growth. Fortune Business Insights provides this information in its report titled “Honey Market, 2022-2029.”

The honey market has seen significant growth in recent years, with consumers becoming increasingly interested in natural and healthy sweeteners. Honey is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of foods and beverages, as well as in natural remedies and skincare products. As a result, there has been an increase in the production of honey by both small-scale and commercial beekeepers. However, this growth has also led to concerns over the quality and authenticity of some honey products on the market.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Honey Market Size to Worth USD 12.69 Billion by 2029 | At a (globenewswire.com)

Beekeepers Larry Gresham, Chris Willis and David Donovan of Strachan Apiaries in Sutter County check on bee boxes placed in an almond orchard in Colusa County. Honeybees from all over the country are used to pollinate the state’s 1.64 million acres of almond trees. (Courtesy) By CHING LEE | AgAlert

Even after a bruising year of lower earnings, crop losses and soaring production costs, California almond growers may not be willing to cut corners pollinating their trees this season.

That’s good news for beekeepers who rent their hives to pollinate crops and whose insects rely on blossoming almond trees as the winter’s first major source of pollen to build their colonies.

About 90% of all U.S. honeybees are in California this time of year pollinating the nuts, according to UC Davis. The pollinators come from all over the country, as there are not enough local bees to cover the state’s 1.64 million acres of almond trees. Farmers usually use about two colonies per acre.

But with state almond acreage down for the first time in 25 years and some 60,400 acres removed as of last summer, “there was a lot of talk” about whether there would be an oversupply of bees this season and whether beekeepers would need to lower prices, said Philip Russell of Strachan Apiaries in Sutter County.

Market prices for almonds have been largely unprofitable for growers during the past three years as exports fell due to shipping challenges and inflation pushed production costs to record levels. Water shortages due to the multiyear drought added to growers’ problems, with some abandoning orchards and ripping out trees.

Growers are looking for ways to cut costs, Russell said, and some may be shopping around for lower-priced bees. But he noted his operation didn’t lose any accounts this year and has gotten inquiries from growers looking for bees.

“I don’t think much has changed. I think the demand is still there,” said Russell, who serves as president of the California State Beekeepers Association.

The season may have started out with extra bees, said Imperial County beekeeper Brock Ashurst, but the surplus appears to have evaporated. He said he gets calls “every day from someone looking for bees.” He said some colonies may not have been as robust as first thought, and now some growers are scrambling to add bees to shore up orchards with weaker hives.

Ashurst noted his operation is down by about a thousand colonies this year. Even with orchard removals, he said other trees are coming into production, and that has held up overall demand for bees.

Because of the symbiotic relationship they have with almond growers, beekeepers say they are aware of the economic challenges their clients face. For this reason, Ashurst said he decided to keep his prices the same as last year—at $195 per hive. He noted beekeepers he knows also have not raised prices, even though their own expenses have gone up, with fuel and labor being two of the highest.

“I think everyone understands the pressure that the almond growers are going through right now,” Ashurst said. “We depend on them a lot, so we understand what they’re facing.”

Though there has been “very little” tree removal among his clients, Tulare County beekeeper Steve Godlin said he did lose business in a few orchards this year, but his growers have maintained their bee stocking rate. All his bees have been rented, with 14,000 hives sitting in orchards since before Valentine’s Day. Almond pollination is expected to wrap up around March 15.

Godlin started the season with about a $32,000 loss after 84 of his hives were stolen. He lamented how bee thefts have now become a yearly problem for beekeepers. Even though he uses GPS trackers in his equipment, there’s not nearly enough to cover all of it. He estimated he’s lost some 600 hives to theft in 46 years in business.

“People are trying to be on the lookout, but it’s like a needle in a haystack with that many acres of trees all up and down the state,” Godlin said.

With the winter rains the state has received, Godlin said he’s hopeful there will be enough forage and wildflowers to make a decent honey crop this year. He said he’s also hoping the price of honey will stay up, as a good crop and higher prices would help offset his “sky high” input costs.

Due to the current economics of almonds and ongoing water restrictions, Greg Meyers, who farms in western Fresno County, said he sees “lots and lots of acres” around him that are being removed or have been removed. He said growers in his area are definitely cutting back on bees this year, among other costs. He himself has been removing older blocks of almonds since 2020, and this year he’s letting another 300 acres go by not putting out any bees.

“Looking at the market, why farm to lose money?” he said.

Despite water-allocation improvements announced by government water officials last week, Meyers said the 35% of contracted water supplies is still “not nearly enough to farm a crop on.” He noted buying water on the open market last year cost almost $2,000 an acre-foot, which was unaffordable when he was earning $1.20 per pound for his almonds.

He said he’s trying to cut costs, and one area where he’s managed to save some money is in orchards where he planted Shasta almonds, a self-pollinating variety that requires fewer bees. He said he still places one to one-and-a-half hives per acre on those blocks, as “you get one shot at pollination.” On his traditional varieties, he typically uses three hives per acre, but he reduced them this year to two-and-a-half hives on older blocks.

Fresno County grower Jamie Bledsoe, who farms in Riverdale, said he has not yet had to cut back on water because his farm has good access to groundwater. His biggest problem, he said, is with almond prices, which have dropped to “below profitable levels.”

He said he’s “doing the bare minimum to get by” on inputs, but he has continued the practice of using two to two-and-a-half hives per acre for pollination. After losing 8% to 12% of his crop last year from the freeze, he said he’s trying to protect yields as much as he can, including applying fungicide before the rain last week.

“Everything looks really good right now, so we’ve just got to see how the bloom goes and how well the bees fly,” he said. “We’ll know in a month or so.”

Ray Henriques, farming manager for Stewart and Jasper Orchards, an almond grower and processor in Stanislaus County, said the company also has not changed its approach to pollination and is sticking with the recommended two hives per acre.

“Yield is the key,” he said. “Our first responsibility is to produce as many almonds as we can.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: Almond farmers not skimping on bees – Daily Democrat

This year, The IR-4 Project commemorates 60 years of operation. Since its establishment by land grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1963, IR-4 has championed specialty crop growers by facilitating the registration of safe, effective pest management solutions to meet their unique needs.

Specialty crops (which include fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and horticulture crops) are not typically served by agrochemical companies’ registration efforts. Larger acreage, “major crops” (like corn and soybeans) typically yield higher returns on investment. This “minor use problem” spurred the founding of IR-4.

IR-4 upholds specialty crops as essential components of a healthy diet, a thriving landscape, and a robust U.S. economy. Since its founding, IR-4 has secured over 23,000 pest management product registrations through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for food crops (and countless others for ornamental crops). IR-4 evaluates a range of tools — including reduced-risk chemical and bio-based pesticides, as well as emerging technologies and integrated solutions.

IR-4 helps secure pest management products for specialty crops— including fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and flowers. Image courtesy of NC State University.

Notable registrations facilitated by IR-4 include Chlorantraniliprole (a reduced-risk conventional pesticide) and Spinosad (a bio-based insecticide approved for both conventional and organic growers). As a result of IR-4’s submissions, these products are approved by EPA for use on numerous specialty crops. IR-4 also spearheaded the registration of several biopesticides to manage Varroa mites in honeybee colonies. These registrations help reduce dietary exposure to pesticides, increase growers’ pest management options, and secure the vitality of the U.S. food supply.

According to an economic impact study by Michigan State University in 2022, IR-4 contributes $8.97 billion annually to the gross domestic product. Additionally, seven jobs today can be attributed to every $1,000 of public investment in IR-4.

Federally funded through USDA, IR-4 works closely with the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), EPA, and international partners to conduct research, facilitate registrations, and harmonize global regulations.

“Not many government-funded organizations survive for 60 years on a year-to-year funding basis,” said Dr. Jerry Baron, Executive Director of The IR-4 Project. “We continue to be relevant to our stakeholders in the farming community. Because of our relevance, they continue to support us in many ways, including letting the decision-makers in Washington D.C. know the importance of the organization— why this program should continue to exist, now and into the future.”

Headquartered at North Carolina State University since 2021(formerly at Rutgers University), IR-4 spans the U.S. through four regional offices, each working closely with growers, commodity groups, state liaisons, land grant university researchers, extension, and industry leaders. Regional offices are located at: University of Florida, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Michigan State University, and University of California, Davis.

As the future of pest management and its regulation grows increasingly complex, IR-4 has the expertise to guide the specialty crop community forward with innovative, pragmatic solutions. While commemorating 60 years of impact through 2023, IR-4 invites the specialty crop community to follow along, learn more about the project, and take part in its evolving, multifaceted work. Visit the IR-4 website to connect via email, newsletter, or social media.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: https://www.ir4project.org/news/60yearsannouncement/

by Christian Senger

College of Charleston sophomore William Helfgott has turned a beehive he won through his 4H program when he was just 8 years old into a thriving business called River Bluff Honey.

In the summer of 2017, at the age of 15 , Helfgott set out with a backpack full of honey jars and a dream of selling out. Just thirty minutes later, his backpack was empty and he was hooked on the beekeeping business.

The following spring, Helfgott was selected to receive a scholarship to become a certified beekeeper in the state of South Carolina. In June of 2018, he was approached by a retailer and they agreed to sell his product. And with that, River Bluff Honey (named after the street Helfgott lives on) was born.

Unsurprisingly, many media outlets became interested in Helfgott’s story and business. After several appearances in magazines, newspapers, TV shows, and more, River Bluff Honey is now available in 30-35 stores in South Carolina and Georgia. Plus, Helfgott donates a portion of all profits to the Lonon Foundation, a Charleston nonprofit that provides resources to children affected by their parent or caregiver’s cancer.

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: College of Charleston sophomore heads up successful local honey business | WCIV (abcnews4.com)

Mike Butcher@mikebutcher

Image Credits: BloomX

Given our general reliance on something called “food” you’d think the issue of pollination — and its general decline — might be higher up the world’s agenda. Over 80% of crops require insect pollination, but growers can no longer rely on the dwindling wild bee population.

But it’s a complex problem. Pollinating crops with honey bees can pose a threat to indigenous wild bees who are forced to compete with honey bees for food and are then exposed to new diseases. Agtech startups are addressing this by working on artificial pollination innovations, or on methods to make honey bees more efficient and less impactful on wildlife.

BeeWise and BeeHero are solutions that enhance honeybees and their pollination efforts, for instance. But honeybees are ineffective pollinators for most types of crops.  And some startups are trying to artificially pollinate but their solutions are limited to greenhouse plants.  What is to be done?

Israel-based BloomX is a startup which has an AI-driven “bio-mimicking technology” where it puts AI alongside mechanical devices to make the whole process more likely to succeed.

It’s now emerged from stealth with an $8 million seed round led by Ahern Agribusiness, a U.S.-based vegetable seed distribution company. Also participating was Vasuki Global Tech Fund, Bio Bee, the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) and Dr. Gal Yarden.

“Our goal is to provide a highly-efficient, and easy-to-use mechanized pollinator that empowers growers to effectively manage and attain control over the entire pollination process without exploiting bees,” said Thai Sade, co-founder and CEO of BloomX, in a statement.

BloomX’s platform sets out to pinpoint the optimal window for pollination and then sends crop-specific hardware devices to replicate the natural pollination process. These are electric vehicles with mechanical arms which navigate between two rows of plants and vibrate their stems. Pollen then detaches and lands on flowers’ stigmas to pollinate them, says the company.

So, for avocado trees, for instance, BloomX has a “Collector Device” that “strokes” an avocado plant to release its pollen grains which are then transmitted to a different variety of avocados.

Ran Ben-Or, managing partner and founder at Tene Investment Funds, added: “By empowering growers to produce greater yields with less land, and alleviating the need to introduce non-native pollinating insects, BloomX lowers the environmental footprint of crop production and has set itself apart from other solutions operating in the pollination space.”

We are here to share current happenings in the bee industry. Bee Culture gathers and shares articles published by outside sources. For more information about this specific article, please visit the original publish source: As the bee population declines, this startup secures $8M to apply AI and EVs to pollination | TechCrunch