He explainedthat beekeepers, who are now keenly aware of the mysterious disorder, are takingextra efforts to make sure their bees receive supplements earlier in the season.Mussen also noted the drought in California has had an impact on the availablefood supply for bees making the supplements even more important. "Cherry orchards require more hives per acre than other crops because cherrypollen is transferred from blossom to blossom exclusively by bees with littleassistance from wind or other factors," said Colombini, who grows cherries inthe major cherry producing district in and around Lodi, CA. This area regularlyproduces 5 to 6 million 18-pound boxes of fresh Bing cherries which harvestduring a short six-week period beginning in mid May. Because bees are so important to cherry production, farmers like Colombini takeextra care to ensure the bees are protected and that nothing hampers their workor hurts the bees in any way. In fact, the state of California has a system ofregulations designed exclusively to protect honeybees and ensure they are notnegatively impacted by farming practices which could reduce their numbers.

A recent survey conducted by the Apiary Inspectors of America and the USDA HoneyBee Lab indicates that, in fact, the number of bees who died off this year hasdropped from 35 percent to 29 percent, which is still a significant number. This year California cherry farmers are making an extra effort to help protectand preserve honeybees. They have teamed up with Häagen-Dazs brand ice cream ina retail promotion which encourages consumers to purchase California cherriesand Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Last year Häagen-Dazs brand launched a campaign tosave the honeybee and to help crops that are dependent on honey bees, likecherries. The campaign, known as Häagen Dazs Loves Honey Bees, was developed toincrease awareness of CCD and to generate research dollars to help find out whatis causing the disorder. To date, the ice cream maker has contributed nearly$500,000 in research funding for the University of California and Penn State tohelp solve the problem and save the honey bee. California cherry farmers are also making their own contribution to theUniversity of California`s bee research efforts.

"Although some improvement has been realized in the western U.S., unfortunatelythere does not seem to be same kind of improvement in the Eastern U.S. for beesthere," explained UC Davis` Mussen, who is also a member of the Häagen-Dazs BeeBoard, a group of researchers from around the country who are working toprioritize research needs to help solve the mystery of CCD. "More research andeducation is definitely needed if a long-term solution is to be found." "California cherry farmers are doing our small part to ensure the future of thehoney bee is secure," said Chris Zanobini, who oversees marketing and promotionprograms for the California Cherry Advisory Board "Cherry production isextremely dependent on bees. We are working with the University of California tohelp find ways to save the honeybees as well as with Häagen-Dazs to supportactivities designed to raise awareness of the honeybees` plight." Consumers can get more information about the Häagen-Dazs campaign at. The California Cherry Advisory Board also suppliesrecipes and other information about fresh California cherries on its website at.