It’s October and where have all the honey bees been that will pollinate the almond flower come February?  Will there be enough robust and healthy 8+ frames to pollinate the 750,000 almond bearing acres in California?  The answer to these questions may be related to the location where the honey bee spent their summer hiatus. 

For 100 years, almond trees, and their rootstocks, have gotten better and better.  Systematic breeding research by the almond industry has resulted in almond varieties and rootstocks that produce the desirable traits of tree vigor, hardiness, productivity, fruit size, drought tolerance, and resistance to pests and diseases.   Almond yields have increased from 500 to 3,000 pounds per acre.  Research invested in plant breeding is paying off for almond growers.