Posted on : February 12th, 2019
Meet one of our biggest business partners: the honeybees! The importance of bees for almonds is so valuable that the relationships between almond growers and the beekeepers we work with go back for years. Almonds, like many crops, are not self-pollinating. So between January and March we depend on bees coming into our orchards to do the work for us. And in return the bees get the delicious and highly nutritious nectar they need at a time of year when hardly anything else is in bloom!
We care deeply about the health of pollinators and the health of the planet. Growing many of our almonds organically without pesticide and chemical exposure helps, of course. But we also do a variety of additional things specifically to create a healthy bee habitat. For example, we leave some of the orchards’ natural grasses in place to attract not only bees but other beneficial insects that decrease the number of invasive pests that harm the almond crop and the health of our trees.
There is also a creek along the border of our organic almond orchard where we have planted native bushes and plants to create a safe forage area for the bees. It also serves as a natural habitat for other beneficial insects, and we think it is creating a healthier more balanced ecosystem.
In addition to the wild pollinators that find their way to our orchards, like most almond growers we bring bee hives in during almond bloom season. But our bees come from local hives. We don’t overly stress them by freighting them across the country to arrive at our farm. Hives moved over long distance appear to be more susceptible to disease and colony collapse because of the stress of moving and the drastic change of their surroundings. Imagine if you were constantly moved against your will from place to place! Our bees do have the experience of being moved once a year, usually in late January – early February, but live the rest of year in their familiar nearby home.
Maisie Jane’s HoneyGuess what? You can buy honey from our local beekeeper’s hives right here at Maisie Jane’s! It’s delicious and comes in a cute honey bear container in our gift shop and in our online store. And it’s delicious with our wonderful healthy Organic Almond Butter (made with nothing but 100% dry-roasted nuts) on toast or an English muffin. Try it with our Organic Cashew Butter, too!
We love our bees! And we do our best to take care of them. You can, too. Find out more . . .
Maisie Jane’s California Sunshine Products, Inc. was founded on strong beliefs and passion for offering unique, flavorful, top-quality, nut products. We strongly believe in earth-friendly practices that start on our family owned and operated orchards. We use Organic farming practices and continue in the process by using all-natural ingredients with no preservatives or GMOs. We believe in honest, friendly and helpful customer relations at all levels. We take pride in every task, every day, with every person.
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