How We Grow

2020 Jan/Feb How We Grow

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6 A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S PEST MANAGEMENT with funding from the Almond Board to help launch the program. BeeWhere streamlines communication between beekeepers, PCAs, growers and pesticide applicators to ensure each party is aware of current hive locations and planned applications. When the vast majority of the nation's hives arrive in California for almond bloom, beekeepers are legally obligated to register their hives through the BeeWhere website (BeeWhereCalifornia.com) and then update their location within 72 hours of any move. BeeWhere employs web-based mapping tools that allow stakeholders to identify all hives within a mile of where an application of a pesticide (labeled as toxic or harmful to bees) is planned. This allows PCAs and pesticide applicators to quickly access hive locations and beekeepers' contact information in the instance that an application has been scheduled within one mile of a hive, giving beekeepers the required 48-hour notification to move their hives before any spraying occurs. Before BeeWhere, growers and PCAs had to visit local county ag commissioners' offices to learn where hives were located before applying any necessary sprays. Today, beekeepers can provide real-time information on hive locations from their smart phones or computer tablets with just a few keystrokes using this program. "Traditionally, this coordination has been managed through a phone call, but now applicators will regularly text me with a Google Earth photo and a list of the products they intend to apply," Brandi said. In October 2019, BeeWhere unveiled a new mobile app, BeeCheck, that makes it even easier to track hive locations on the go. Growers and other pollination stakeholders can download the free app on their Android or Apple devices from the Google or Apple store. In addition to the BeeWhere program and its focus on hive locations, the BeeSafe program seeks to address other factors that may impact honey bee health. Released in 2018 and managed by CDFA, BeeSafe seeks to improve the health and survival of honey bees by increasing foraging opportunities and providing funds for tighter enforcement of existing laws, including the inspection and verification of hives to reduce bee theft. According to Louie Mendoza Jr., the county ag commissioner in Butte County, BeeSafe also endorses the safe transportation of colonies from one orchard to the next and promotes best management strategies for beekeepers. Bee health has researchers buzzing In addition to funding bee health research and the development of new tools to protect these powerful pollinators, the Almond Board continues to monitor honey bee research in the U.S. and in Europe. One area of study is an effort to reduce honey bees' susceptibility to varroa mites, which, gone untreated, can lead to massive honey bee deaths and even the collapse of entire colonies. "I think it's an exciting piece of work that's important to our industry," Lewis said. Lewis said the Almond Board and others will also continue to explore self-compatible almond varieties like Independence ® and Shasta ® , which depend on fewer bees for pollination, as well as the Sweetheart ® variety, which can cross-pollinate with all varieties. "As we look longer term," Lewis said, "we hope breakthroughs in bee health and development of improved self-compatible varieties will ease the high costs of pollination and improve the sustainability of our industry for both the environment and for growers." To learn more about proper communications and application during bloom, as well as ongoing ABC-funded research and the Honey Bee BMPs, pollination stakeholders are encouraged to visit Almonds.com/Pollination. 5 Williams, N.M., 2017. Evaluating Alternative Bee Forage Plantings to Support Honey Bees in Almond Orchards–Assessing Bloom Time, Bee Use and Orchard Pollination. Almond Board of California Annual Research Reports Consider planting supplemental forage Providing alternative food sources for bees by planting cover crops in the windrows or on the periphery of property lines is proven to supplement bees' diets during pollination. And, healthier bees may mean more nuts on the tree – in general, orchards with supplemental forage plantings tend to have higher nut set than those without plantings. 5 ABC-funded research shows that alternative food sources supplement pollen from almond blossoms without competing against it, meaning the bees will still go to the almond blossoms' pollen before exploring the blossoms of other cover crops. Native plants like mustard, vetch, clover and wildflower also attract natural predators to pests common in the orchard, reducing the need to solve pest problems chemically. Project Apis m.'s Seeds for Bees program provides growers with seed mixes for these plants, which are also shown to benefit soil health and help to sequester carbon. For more information on the Seeds for Bees program, visit ProjectApism.org.

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