Beekeepers get a sweet deal after long price slump ends

FRESNO, Calif. -- A multiyear slump appears to be over for some of the nation's beekeepers, who are finally being offered sweeter prices for honey this year.

Beekeepers are being paid about $1 to $1.20 a pound, about twice as much as in recent years. The increase is due to restrictions on cheaper imports and a shortage of honey caused by a nationwide drought.

"The price on the store shelf is still very affordable, it's still within a buck or two, but we are getting our share finally," said Richard Adee of the American Honey Producers Association.

Tariffs were placed on Argentine and Chinese exports last year, helping U.S. producers battle cheap foreign honey prices.

The United States stopped honey shipments altogether from China, one of the leading honey exporters, in August after an antibiotic was found. The U.S Food and Drug Administration prohibits chloramphenicol in food because of concerns about the potential for serious blood disorders in humans. Cloramphenicol is an antibiotic used to control disease in shrimp, crawfish and bees.

Not all beekeepers are reaping profits. Some have been hurt by the nationwide drought, causing less wild foliage for bees to pollinate. Bees gather pollen as they go from plant to plant seeking nectar, which is carried back to the hive to turn into honey.

The Honey Producers Association estimates a 27 percent decrease in honey production, with a total of about 160 million pounds, down from 220 million pounds in 2000.

California is one the top honey-producing states in the nation, producing 30.8 million pounds in 2000.

Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota also rank among the top honey-producing states.

To make ends meet, some beekeepers move to California in the winter to prepare bees for the second part of their business, pollination. Beekeepers start feeding bees the first week in December in anticipation of the pollination process that starts in February.

Bees are needed for several crops, including avocados, melons, squash and zucchini, but a majority of the pollination in the San Joaquin Valley is for almonds, said Lyle Johnston of the American Honey Producers Association.