> The principle [pollination] shortage that 
> everyone talks about is bees for almonds, 
> a luxury export crop. Not exactly a national crisis.

And a crop that continues to enjoy expanded cultivation every year, with
more acres are planted with almonds, and more trees maturing to ages that
make them producing trees.

From the 2012 USDA Almond Forecast:

Year   Bearing   Non-Bearing
====  =======  =======
1995 418,000  65,700  
1996 428,000  72,400  
1997 442,000  63,000  
1998 460,000  120,000  
1999 485,000  115,000 
2000 510,000  100,000  
2001 530,000  75,000   
2002 545,000  65,000   
2003 550,000  60,000   
2004 570,000  70,000 
2005 590,000  110,000  
2006 610,000  145,000  
2007 640,000  125,000   
2008 680,000  115,000   
2009 720,000  90,000  
2010 740,000  85,000  
2011 760,000  75,000  
2012 780,000     ?

So, at 2 hives per acre, that's 1.56 million colonies.  The almond growers
can continue to expand, and continue to keep throwing money at the problem
of pollination, as their profits are so massive.

As I've said before, Almonds did for beekeeping what cocaine did for South
Florida.  Note that I have not kept a residence in South Florida since.

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