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Many Midwest honey bees will spend the winter in California

Many of the honey producers in the U.S. are getting ready to send their bees west for the winter.  Kent Pegorsch with the Wisconsin Honey Producer’s Association says, “There are about 2.7 million colonies managed in the United States, and over two million of those colonies go to California just for almond population.  That’s how much they need them out there.”

Pegorsch tells Brownfield the bees can survive the cold winters at home, but sending beehives west is worth the extra work.  “They pay a very good price for pollination out there because they need all of these colonies out there to insure their almonds get pollinated correctly.  It’s an incredible logistical feat, and it’s amazing we pull it off every year.”

And, Pegorsch says spending a few months in the California sun instead of a harsh winter appears to be good for them.  “It does give our bees a head start on the year.  When we get them back to Wisconsin, they are already built up and strong and ready to jump into our honey flow here.”

Pegorsch talked to Brownfield during the recent Honey Producer’s Association conference in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.