Bee disease not hurting almonds

Colony collapse disorder, a killer of billions of honeybees, isn’t likely to affect the country’s crops this year, the American Beekeeping Federation said, pointing to a forecast for a record almond harvest in California.

Production of almonds, the ninth-largest U.S. crop by value and the crop that uses the most honeybees for pollination, may reach 1.46 billion pounds this year, according to a survey of growers released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That would be the most ever and 5.8% more than last year, when the harvest was valued at $2.4 billion.