Do you ever wonder where beekeepers go and what they do after their honey bees have pollinated almonds?  By now, you as a grower have moved on from thoughts of bees and bloom to thoughts about post-bloom activities including disease control, pest control, fertilizing and managing for crop quality and retention.

Good stewardship means protecting the environment and thoughtful consideration of a multitude of factors - including air quality, water quality, pesticide use, soil management and good agricultural practices that protect food safety.  Much has been written about almond grower stewardship.  Almond growers have received notoriety and awards for their outstanding stewardship efforts.  But little is written about grower stewardship relative to the billions of honey bees that pollinate the huge almond crop.  In particular, there are large gaps in our knowledge about how pesticides affect honey bees.