CALIFORNIA ALMOND GROWERS have always relied heavily on honeybee hive rentals to pollinate their orchards. Responsible for 80% of global almond production, these growers are highly dependent on obtaining healthy honeybee colonies from contracted commercial beekeepers.With a record 1 million almond-bearing acres forecasted for this year's harvest, meeting the growing pollination demands of the industry may become increasingly more difficult for migratory beekeepers. On average, they have sustained annual losses of one-third of their hives each winter and struggle to mitigate challenges associated with mite pressure, pathogen transmission, pesticide exposure, and nutritional limitation.
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