Strong honeybee colonies prove value in almond pollination

The combined almond pollen collection results for colonies with different strengths used in 1970 are listed in table 1. Results are expressed as average grams of almond pollen collected per colony during the seven-day and ten-day collection periods and as a percentage of pollen collected by four-frame colonies. (A minimum standard colony of honeybees for almond pollination was defined in 1968 by the California Beekeepers Association as having an actively laying queen and four frames completely covered with bees at the beginning of almond bloom.)