Bee hives provide the means for pollination of almond orchard, California.
Credit: Shutterstock

Central Valley farmers say they need two things to be successful: Water and honey bees. But both are in short supply this year.

A local beekeeper says he’s having trouble finding enough bees for area farms and ranches. So, where did they all go?

“It’s been stated that every third bite of food you take is thanks directly or indirectly to a honey bee,” said beekeeper Orin Johnson.

Johnson is counting. His client is willing to pay a higher price for strong bees and there’s only one way to tell if the colony is strong.

“We open them up and count the number of frames of bees. Not bees, the frames — the number of bees covering a honeycomb,” said Johnson.

California almond orchards need billions of bees, which the state doesn’t have.

“Our November, December this year, what were they, 65, 75 degrees? The bees are flying and there’s nothing out there for them to eat,” he said.

Across the country, bee colonies have collapsed […]