On my visit to California in 2019, I had the opportunity to attend a commercial beekeepers conference in the heart of Northern California Almond Country at the invitation of UC Davis researcher, Billy Synk who works at Apis. I wanted to learn more about their concerns regarding Bee Collapse and what they are doing to improve the health of the bee.

At the conference they discussed the challenges they face bringing bees into California and travel related stress factors and solutions. In addition, they focused on feeding solutions for the bees and spraying issues when combining fungicides and herbicides and best practices.

I wanted to focus on solutions and talk to bee keepers, scientists and educators who are actually doing everything they can to improve the health of the bee.

The commercial beekeepers I met at the conference truck billions of bees across the United States to meet the pollination needs across a wide spectrum of crops.

I had the opportunity to meet the three largest commercial beekeepers and transporters of bees in the United States at the conference and the head of the California Almond Board.

Please note in a conference environment, I am still new to how best to capture sound and vision in order to have what I need to tell a complete story. Happily, I am learning on my feet and learning as I go. People in the US doing great work on the ground to improve bee health. I feel it is more important than ever to share with Australian beekeepers what other communities are doing to support the bee.

I’d like to introduce you first to Billy Synk and the Seeds for Bees Program…

I had the opportunity to attend a Seeds for Bees morning introduction for Almond Growers. 100 acre farms are given free cover crop seed to ensure the health of the bee. Billy explains the benefits planting cover crop for the almonds themselves as well as to the health of the bee.

I am really delighted that I was able to attend his morning talk, and visit the Apis test plots to see first hand the two different ground cover crops he recommends planting in almond orchards. They are growing red clover and mustard. The mustard blooms first and help keep the nematodes at bay. Then the almonds bloom. Nematodes feed on the roots of the almonds. The almonds kill the nematodes, A very nice outcome for almond growers. The red clover blooms last and provide bees with a source of good nutrition, helping to boost their immune systems.

It would be great for almond growers and beekeepers in Australia to join forces and adopt this practice to support the bee. I am going to do everything I can do to help promote this in Australia.