In Wanganui Chronicles in New Zealand April 14 there’s an article by Rachel Rose titled Bees play vital role in food chain. In New Zealand they know bees are important for dairy and meat production. Yes, for dairy and for meat production! For pasture! White clover is an important part for good pasture. It takes nitrogen from air into the food chain, producing fertilizer without cost. Organic! And you shouldn’t use artificial fertilizers on pasture fields if you want natural continuation of white clover there. With rich pollination of clover it produces seeds that fall off and lay in the ground for years and germinate up to 10 years and keep the white clover there fertilizing the pasture, for ”free”, organic.
But you need a lot of bees to pollinate big pasture fields. And for pollinating seed production for use in new pastures, organic and other.
If bees don’t disappear entirely, but “only” have severe problems, they maybe are barely enough many to pollinate the almonds, but are they enough many to also help organic farming continue and grow?