Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: Christine Souza

California's Almond Pollination Season: Just Buzzin'

Did you hear that buzz in California's almond orchards? It takes about two colonies per acre to pollinate California's 1.2 million acres of almonds. That's about 2.5 million bee colonies trucked here from throughout the country. And now the 2020 almond...

A honey bee pollinating an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee pollinating an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee pollinating an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up over and around...a honey bee circles an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Up over and around...a honey bee circles an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up over and around...a honey bee circles an almond blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bottoms up! A honey bee foraging on an almond blossom on an older tree on Bee Biology Road. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bottoms up! A honey bee foraging on an almond blossom on an older tree on Bee Biology Road. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bottoms up! A honey bee foraging on an almond blossom on an older tree on Bee Biology Road. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 3:44 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Economic Development, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Pest Management, Yard & Garden

An Early Bloomer

You've heard of late bloomers. How about early bloomers? A trip to the Benica (Calif.) State Recreational Park on Sunday yielded quite a surprise: a solo blossom on a bare almond tree.  Almonds don't usually start blooming until around...

A solo almond blossom blooming Jan. 5, 2014 in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A solo almond blossom blooming Jan. 5, 2014 in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A solo almond blossom blooming Jan. 5, 2014 in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It will be a few weeks until we see scenes like this. This photo was taken Feb. 11, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
It will be a few weeks until we see scenes like this. This photo was taken Feb. 11, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It will be a few weeks until we see scenes like this. This photo was taken Feb. 11, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, January 6, 2014 at 10:35 PM
Tags: Ag Alert (4), almond blossoms (7), almonds (22), Christine Souza (5), Eric Mussen (269), honey bees (439)

It's Almost Almond-Pollinaton Time

Hear the buzz in the California almond orchards? It's almost pollination time. The season usually begins around Feb. 1. This year California has some 750,000 acres of almonds, and each acre requires two bee colonies to pollinate. That's 1.2 million...

Honey Bee on Almond
Honey Bee on Almond

THIS WILL be the scene next month in California when honey bees begin pollinating the almond blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 8:01 PM

Challenging Year for Almond Growers, Beekeepers

UC Davis Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty for 32 years, says this looks like a challenging  year for almond growers. There's this water problem. Think...

Honey bee and almond blossom
Honey bee and almond blossom

A HONEY BEE targets almond blossoms, a sign that spring can't be far behind. However, 2009 will be a challenging year for both almond growers and beekeepers, according to UC Davis apiculturist Eric Mussen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 5:21 PM

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