California beekeepers managed to pump out enough nectar last year to reestablish the Golden State as the nation's top honey producer. But at honeybee farms throughout the state, there has been little comfort in recapturing the crown.
Though honey prices are higher than they've been in years, the industry faces a swarm of troubles, from cutthroat competition by foreign exporters to voracious pests that can gut production and drive beekeepers out of business.
Then there are more immediate concerns, such as an ongoing dry spell sure to shrink the amount of vegetation available this year for honeybees to feed.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture may count California as No. 1, but veteran beekeepers say the view from the top can be precarious.
"I wouldn't paint too rosy a picture, because it's not," said Red Bennett, a 60-year-old former NASA engineer who two dozen years ago surrendered his pursuit of space travel for flight operations closer to earth in Ventura County.
"Beekeeping is pretty tough, and it has become quite difficult to stay in business," said Bennett, one of the few commercial beekeepers left in a county once home to a thriving industry. "And right now, it's looking pretty bleak."
Although honey production was lower than the year before, California beekeepers still reaped 28 million pounds of the golden nectar in 2001, accounting for one-seventh of the nation's production and edging out longtime rival North Dakota for top honors.
For more than a decade, the two states--along with South Dakota and Florida--have been locked in a nip-and-tuck battle for honey-making preeminence.
Like California, those states have plenty of flowering grasses, plants and trees on which honeybees like to feed.
But California has emerged as the top producer in seven of the last nine years, driven largely by good weather and a bountiful supply of sources available for bees to produce honey.
From the fragrant fruit orchards of the San Joaquin Valley to the just-blossoming orange groves around Ventura, nearly half a million colonies are busy each year serving up the sweet syrup--a crop valued at $18.5 million in 2001. That is its highest value since 1998.
Tulare County Leads in Honey Production
Tulare County leads California in honey production, followed by Riverside, Kings, Kern and Merced counties.
The bees play a vital role in California agriculture, and are brought in by growers to pollinate everything from almonds to summer squash in an effort to boost yields and quality.
