The $6 billion California almond industry wouldn't exist if honeybees weren't brought in from around the US. 90 percent of all the commercial beehives colonized in the US are rented out to the California almond industry each year. Commercial hives are brought in from Michigan to Idaho. Some hives are trucked in all the way from the East Coast. As the pollinators continue to die off each year, it's becoming harder and more expensive to sustain important crops such as the almonds.
 

Hundreds of honeybee hives stolen in California

To make matters worse, counties in California are now reporting that mass beehive thefts are on the rise. Butte County Sheriff's Detective, Jay Freeman, says the bee hive thefts have been "picking up this year" which "could be due to the increased prices and pollination fees and also a shortage of bees coming into California as well." At least a half dozen thefts have been reported in Glenn, Kern, Colusa and Sutter counties. In Butte county, the thefts have become a big deal. According to the Butte County Sheriff's Office, "information that over 500 beehives have been reported stolen in two separate incidents which took place in two neighboring counties over the last two weeks."

The Feb. 2 memo revealed that 480 hives were stolen in Butte and Colusa County alone. 64 of the hives were valued at $20,000. "We lost a couple hundred hives in Bakersfield," said beekeeper Jack Wickerd, co-owner of the Happie Bee Co. "They were wintering out in a field. There were more than 400 hives stolen the night before at another location before they took ours."