The almond rush

Posts on Bee_L seem to suggest that California's almond pollination crisis has turned very messy this year.

Like a second gold rush, beekeepers from all over the US have poured into California with their bees to try to obtain the high pollination rates quoted, only to find that brokers (yes, there are almond pollination brokers) are paying less claiming the colonies aren't strong enough to command the quoted rates. Many beekeepers are feeling aggrieved ...