A report has found that almond milk is responsible for killing bees. A popular dairy-free alternative, almond milk is actually doing more environmental harm than we thought, according to reporting from the Guardian.

California is responsible for 80% of the world’s almond supply. Almond farmers are now using commercial beekeepers to pollinate their almond groves. But the beekeepers are seeing the bees they sent to almond farmers come back ill.

50 million bees died between 2018 and 2019, according to reports. Almond crops are treated with an excess of pesticides, which is harmful to bee populations. Almonds also require bees to wake up from hibernation early to attend to the crop season.

Patrick Pynes, an organic beekeeper in Arizona told the Guardian, “The bees in the almond groves are being exploited and disrespected. They are in severe decline because our human relationship to them has become so destructive.”

To help solve the problem, scientists are working on breeding almond varieties that require fewer bees to pollinate. California has also implemented a “Bee Where” program to coordinate hive locations and alert farmers about upcoming pesticide sprays.

Action group SumOfUs is questioning the vegan integrity of almond milk if it uses so many bees to make the product. Commercial almond milk producers have said they are hoping for bee-friendly almond milk, but haven’t given a timeline or much detail. A “Bee Better” certification has been launched by groups hoping to reduce the impact on bee populations. The certification asks farmers to increase biodiversity by planting clover, wildflowers, and mustard in between trees.

Learn more about bees in One Green Planet:

• 5 Easy Ways to Help the Bees
• Why Bees Are Important to Our Planet
• How Industrial Farming Has Changed Life for Bees – for the Worse

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!