While there have been some reports of hives collapsing and spot shortages of bees in CA, here is 
what Blue Diamond and Eric Mussen have to say about the situation in CA.  

http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_8531076

San Joaquin County almonds off to good season

Industry is taking advantage of warm weather, healthy honeybee supply despite late start to bloom

As well as good weather, farmers are being aided by sufficient supplies of honeybees to pollinate 
orchards throughout the state, Blue Diamond's Baker said. "We don't have any complaints from 
growers this year about, 'We haven't been able to get bees or get enough bees,'" he said.

Still, bee rental rates remain at historical highs -- about $140 to $150 a hive -- and some 
beekeepers continue to report problems with so-called colony collapse disorder, in which hives 
seem suddenly to empty or vanish with no apparent cause, a UC Davis bee expert said Thursday.
"It's not quite as bad as last year, but there were still individuals who still had problems," said Eric 
Mussen of UC Cooperative Extension.

"It's definitely still out there; it still needs to be worked on to see what's going on," he said of the 
mysterious disorder.

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************