Bee pollination is essential to our country’s food production and it's responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year. But, there’s been a lot of buzz lately about the dramatic decline in honey bee colonies across the nation, which has actually created a unique opportunity for one Northern Nevada couple. Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray talks to Chris and Karen Foster of Hidden Valley Honey.
California produces 80 percent of the world’s almonds, but farmers there need bees from all over the country to help, including ones that come from Northern Nevada. The beekeepers of Hidden Valley Honey will be heading over to California this week to pick up their bees from the orchards, which have been over there helping with pollination. Owner Chris Foster says the bees are vital to the almond business.
“It’s a 100 percent necessity. No pollination. No almonds,” Chris Foster says.
But, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that since the 1980s, various pathogens, pesticides and parasites such as mites have contributed to a decline in honey bees throughout the country. These losses threaten the production of almonds and other crops. Karen Foster says that it’s typical for her to lose 30 percent of hives every year, which is also an issue for other beekeepers.
“It’s been harder; a lot of people who kept bees before that kind of got out of it once it started being so difficult to keep the hives alive,” Karen Foster says.
Along with talking about those obstacles, the Fosters discuss what they think of honey as a remedy for seasonal allergies, why they think managing a couple of hives is a fun hobby, and whether beekeeping is a dangerous profession.
