NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL, SUSAN WOOD March 22, 2025
Solano County almond growers are facing a significant decline in honeybee populations, down nearly a third from typical levels, which is concerning given California’s dominance in global almond production.
North Bay beekeepers, almond growers and agriculture stakeholders are hoping the current decline in bees slows to a flutter.
“We’re at the tail end of the pollination, and hives are down by a third,” Solano County Agricultural Commissioner Ed King told the Business Journal. “Typically, we have 50- to 60,000 hives for almonds. Instead, we have about 35,000.”
The premier crop for Solano and Yolo counties needs a sustained honeybee population to grow. But the bees are having problems of their own — not to the extent of the colony collapse of the 1980s but enough to cause concern.
The populations have experienced peaks and valleys in recent years. After a decline in 2023 because of the cold, wet winter, honeybees underwent a resurgence last year.
This year is different. Marshall Farms reported being down 25% in its beehive populations. The American Canyon beekeeping company serves the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Fairmont San Francisco and the Homestead Valley Land Trust at Mount Tamalpais. These bees will traditionally produce 15,000 pounds of honey. On the average, the honey operation produces about 30,000 pounds between March and November. The bees go dormant in the winter.
A few reasons for the downward trend can be explained, noted Spencer Marshall of Marshall’s Farm, who got into beekeeping in 1972 when he heard almond growers needed them.
“The queens used to last five years, now they can barely make it through the year,” he said.
Then, Mashall says, there’s the sex drive of drones (male honeybees) to take into consideration.
“They’re not carrying as much sperm. I think it’s the chemistry,” he said. “It’s a mystery why they’re not reproducing more.”
There are also pesticides and mites that have contributed to bee decline, with the Varroa parasite being a constant culprit. Climate change threatens bee populations and hive thefts are also a chronic problem.
“This is a serious problem, having a huge (bee) shortage for the almonds,” Marshall said.
A tough nut to crack
Dixon almond grower Hans Rotteveel shared his nervousness at the thought of fewer bees pollinating his trees covering 1,000 acres. He traditionally is able to grow at least three million almonds a year.
Rotteveel gets his bees from the Dixon Bee Co. run by Alexis Harvey, and it typically costs approximately $200 to $225 to rent a colony of bees.
“If they don’t have enough hives, they will contract out,” Rotteveel said.
“We had already heard whispers back in December that there wouldn’t be enough bees for almonds across the state, but we haven’t seen the impact yet,” he said.
Rotteveel’s operation harvests, hulls and packages the almonds. He sells them to India, Morocco and Europe.
Almond growing is big business in the state, accounting for 80% of the crop in the world, according to the Almond Board of California.
“The market has been bullish this year, as we’re at the beginning of a bounce-back year,” Rotteveel said.
That said, he remains optimistic while aware of the forces — both manmade and natural, that affect pollination.
“Everybody’s unsure of what the crops are going to be. There are a lot of factors (at play). But if we don’t have bees, we’re not going to put out crops,” he said.