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Commercial Pollination
Some beekeepers make a living renting out active hives to farmers to help pollinate crops like apples, almonds, cucumbers, and alfalfa.
As we've learned, one-third of all U.S. crops depend on honey bee pollination. In an industry known as "commercial pollination," bee hives are regularly moved across the country and back again to help pollinate regional crops because native bees can no longer handle the industrial scale of the task.
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A truck is loaded with bee hives for transport around the country to commercially pollinate agricultural crops.
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Reliance on Commercial Pollination
Almonds are entirely dependent on the seasonal importation of honey bees. It takes more than half of the country's commercially operated colonies to cover California's almonds.
Beekeepers in the commercial pollinating business follow routes based on blossoming times for different crops.
Popular crops that benefit from commercial pollination include apples and blueberries (which rely on honey bees for 90 percent of their pollination), peaches (50 percent) and oranges (30 percent).
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Pros and Cons of Migratory Pollination
There are both pros and cons of migratory pollination.
Pro
The most significant benefit of migratory pollination is that it has increased American agriculture production substantially.
Con
The advantage of migratory pollination comes at the cost of disrupting the natural rhythm of honey bee colonies and puts a great deal of stress on the bees. It exposes them to a greater number of pesticides, among other things.