Beekeeping

Inside the contracts that move 2.6 million bee colonies into California every February. Frame counts, inspection protocols, pesticide clauses, and the $200-per-hive details growers and beekeepers actually negotiate.

European beekeepers used oxalic acid for decades before the EPA approved it in 2015. Now it's the foundation of winter mite management in the US. Here's how a simple organic compound changed varroa control.

Explore why package bees cost $145-$225 in spring but aren't available in fall. The economics trace back to California almonds, queen mating windows, and biology that won't negotiate.