Migratory beekeeper - FT.com David Mendes, Headwaters Farm With a growing shortage of bees, billions are transported across the US each year. As more land is allocated to growing crops, the need for pollination rises. Raising bees requires a warm climate with plenty of nectar and pollen. Florida, where I have kept bees since the 1970s, is one of very few regions where this is possible. Today I have 20,000 hives, and there are 40,000 to 50,000 bees in each. The pollination of California's almond crop early each spring is my company's largest job of the year. This February, 40 trucks transported my hives 3,000 miles to California for the month-long task. We carefully load the hives on to flatbed trucks, where they are contained by nets. Our drivers are instructed to drive nonstop throughout the daytime so that circulating wind keeps the bees cool. Water sprinklers cool them overnight. Having returned from almond pollination on the west coast, the colonies are split and we introduce new queen bees. This prevents swarming. A large number of my hives are then transported to Maine for the pollination of blueberries in mid-May to mid-June, and then to Massachusetts for the cranberry crop. These days, the key to successful beekeeping is keeping your bees alive. Many beekeepers lose up to half of their stock each year.