10-27 FB Millet Bees CCD

 Golden Bee, Inc. is owned and operated by Jonathan Millet. His father raised honeybees while he was growing up, making Jon the third generation beekeeper in the Millet line. Jonathan spent a year on the Big Island of Hawaii to learn the art of queen breeding, a talent he uses to produce queen bees commercially. The Millets continue to keep their warehouse and daily operation on 17 acres located about one mile from the Snake River.

The Millet's now run between 3,000 and 5,000 colonies. They pollinate almond orchards in California, fruit orchards in Idaho and Washington and seed crops in Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming. That’s a nice story isn’t it. But this lifestyle is now in jeapordy because of the potential devastation presented by Colony Collapse Disorder. Honeybee populations worldwide have been decimated in recent decades. The exact cause is uncertain, but experts say a multitude of factors is likely and Johnathon appears frustrated. Commercial bees face stresses including traveling long distances to pollinate crops. This makes them exposed.