Pollination
BEES AND POLLINATION
Managed pollination is the most critical biological factor for the Australian almond industry, requiring more than 300,000 hives across 70,000 Ha during the pollination season in August.
The 2025-26 season demonstrated the scale of this logistical feat, involving trucking thousands of hives across state borders. To secure adequate nut set, the industry aims to maintain a stocking rate of 4-6 Hives per Ha. However, the convergence of prolonged drought conditions, ongoing labour and financial pressures, and managing of varroa mite has started to impact stocking rates and hive strength. This biosecurity shift highlights a widespread lack of public awareness regarding the indispensable role honeybees play in securing the global food supply.
In these uncertain times growers prioritize intensive hive care, recognizing that the nutrient-rich pollen and nectar of early-spring almond blossoms provide a premier natural food source that drastically strengthens bee colonies. To enhance this mutually beneficial relationship, orchard managers arrange hives in open, sun-warmed spaces, distribute freshwater networks, and plant diverse, flowering cover crops to enrich the bees’ seasonal diet. This high-quality forage allows commercial beekeepers to routinely“ split” and multiply their healthy colonies post-bloom before moving them to generate honey or pollinate subsequent crops. Ultimately, this symbiotic cycle has elevated the almond pollination sector into an essential economic pillar, now valued at more than $ 60 million annually for Australian commercial beekeepers.
Almost 40 % of Australian almond orchards are certified as Bee Friendly Farms through the Wheen Bee Foundation while several others have created similar resources for the same purpose.
37.1 %
of almonds are bee friendly farm certified
HIGH HEALTH BUDWOOD PROGRAM
The ABA produces high health status varietal budwood for nurseries to ensure plantings have the best start possible. This material is produced at ABA managed mother planting sites that are tested annually for a wide range of viruses. Approximately 170,000 virus tested buds were delivered by the ABA to nurseries in 2025 / 2026 for grafting to produce healthy trees.
The commercial life of an almond tree is approximately 30 years, and some orchards are now in a replanting phase and growers are making decisions on a broader range of rootstocks and varieties that are now available from Australian and overseas breeding programs.
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