How do honeybee colony losses affect almond production in California?

California’s almond industry is highly dependent on western honeybees for pollination, as it relies almost exclusively on them to produce its annual harvest. This industry represents the largest coordinated pollination event in the world, requiring more than two million honeybee colonies—nearly three-quarters of the total colonies available in the United States—to service the orchards during the brief spring flowering season.123

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) and other factors contributing to significant honeybee population declines pose a major threat to this agricultural sector. As the number of available healthy colonies decreases, the beekeeping industry faces immense challenges in meeting the massive demand for pollination services. Because the California almond crop is valued in the billions of dollars—reaching $4.7 billion in 2022—the instability of bee populations creates a critical economic risk for the state's agriculture. Ensuring the health of these pollinators is essential to maintaining the stability of global almond production, which relies on California for 50 to 80 percent of its annual supply.2431