One challenge beekeepers face is food for their colonies.  Just like humans, honey bees require a varied diet.  But with increased herbicide use in farming, on highways and along waterways, drought decreasing available wildflowers, land cleared for housing developments, agricultural land lying fallow due to lack of water, and wildfires destroying natural pollinator habitat, there are reduced bee forage resources.  Loss of cotton acreage and possible loss of citrus whether due to trespassing bees in mandarins or Huanglongbing disease potential could affect available food for bees.

In fact, perhaps the most important single step that could be taken to improve sustainability in pollinated crops is improved nutrition for honey bees.  Healthy bees, those that are able to tolerate infection, pests and stress, are bees that are well-fed.   For bees destined for almond pollination in February and March, spring and fall forage that includes adequate protein or pollen is particularly important. 

Planting honey bee forage crops would have three primary beneficiaries – beekeepers, growers and land owners.  Beekeepers would benefit by a savings in supplemental feeding costs, often 25% of their input costs.  Improved forage means more diversity in pollen or protein sources for bees, more brood and stronger, healthier colonies.  For the grower, greater bee supply would translate into decreased colony rental fees.  Abundant healthy bees result in better coverage and pollination of the millions of blossoms in a blooming orchard.  For a land owner or land manager, planting a nutritious pollen source could be economically beneficial, such as an oilseed crop like canola, or ecologically beneficial by preventing erosion or protecting waterways. 

The California State Beekeepers Association, with the help of Project Apis m, has submitted a proposal to the California Department of Food and Agriculture to develop acreage that could be devoted to bee pasture, whether it is fallow agricultural land or public lands.   Providing bee forage and educating and enlisting land owners and managers to produce food resources for pollinators could not come at a more critical time.  Specifically, developing large acreage for spring and fall forage crops for honey bees will result in improved bee nutrition, better colony health and strength, and more honey bees for pollination.  The present situation of increased bee losses, increased hive rental costs for growers and increased supplemental feeding costs to beekeepers is not sustainable.  Bee forage, if encouraged, could reverse this trend by providing a diversity of food sources for bees and a plentiful supply of bees at almond bloom. 

Christi Heintz is Executive Director for Project Apis m. a non-profit bee research organization.  Should you have acreage available or an interest in bee forage crops, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .