Economics
Lock Up Your Bees: Insects Are the Assets to Steal as Almond Prices Soar
- Hive thefts hit Australia's biggest almond-growing region
- Bees grabbed as growers cash in on super food's record price
Bees used to pollinate almond trees.
Photographer: Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee/MCT via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The world’s most valuable pollinator is under attack.
Bees, responsible for an estimated $15 billion of crop output in the U.S. alone, play an essential role in almond production. With the nut fetching record prices, the insects have become the asset to own -- or steal -- in Australia’s biggest almond-producing region.