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 * ****************************************************