Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 21 According to the Montana Department of Agriculture, there are over 200 registered beekeepers across Montana, spanning four dif- ferent categories of beekeeping and honey production: commercial, landowner, hobbyist, and pollination. Most beekeepers across the country are hobbyists, with ten or fewer hives. As of last summer, all beekeepers in Montana are required to register their apiary site. This ensures that new beekeepers can stay up to date with regulations for keeping hives, shipping equipment out of state, and honey produc- tion. It also helps beekeepers more easily connect to local and state resources. MIGRATORY BEEKEEPING AND THE POLLINATION CYCLE Twenty-five years ago, California almond groves spanned fewer than half a million acres. Today, almond groves cover nearly 1.5 million acres. California grows more than 80% of the world's supply of almonds, and the industry is valued at over $5 billion, according to a 2018 Stanford University article. However, the blooming season is short, lasting less than a month in the middle of winter. Pollinating each acre requires two hives—an astronomical amount of bees and far too much for California beekeepers to cover. This is where migra- tory beekeeping comes in. Honeybees are shipped from Montana and surrounding states down to California, where they spend the next several weeks furious- ly busy, pollinating the almond groves before being loaded back onto tractor trailers after the bloom is over. Without bees being shipped to California, the almond groves would not be able to produce crops and the industry would crumble. Summer is the time for Montana bees to replenish, getting their fill of clover and alfalfa while recuperating from the hard work of pollinating. Summer is also when honeybees produce the majority of their honey for the year. While migratory beekeeping is a symbiotic relationship between the California almond growers and Montana beekeepers, it's not without stress on the bees. The sheer number of bees descending on the almond groves makes the hives more susceptible to disease spread, and the single crop depletes bees of necessary nutrient variety. By the time the bees are on their way back The importance of honeybs IN OUR AGRICULTURE AND ECOSYSTEM CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. BERT'S BEES

• Cover