In order to ensure guaranteed almond pollination, leading California almond and pistachio grower, Paramount Farming has acquired Headwaters Farm, one of the largest beekeeping companies in the U.S. The purchase price was not released, however Paramount Farming did state that the company has 20,000 hives, and after its acquisition will be renamed Wonderful Bees. Bees are critical to the production of almonds. The California industry requires 1.4 million colonies annually, or approximately 60% of the entire supply of managed bee colonies in the country according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, because of colony collapse disorder, the number of managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. has fallen from 5 million in the 1940’s to 2.5 million today, making honeybees themselves a commodity. Each year producers in California vie to obtain enough bees to pollinate their crops as rental prices on colonies soar. Food companies, especially those with high amounts of capital invested in production assets such as nut producers, could increasingly maneuver to acquire their own bee companies in order to protect their investments.
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