MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County is experiencing unseasonably low temperatures that are raising concerns for local beekeepers.

Jeremy Ham is the owner of Old Florida Bee Company in Myakka City. Typically, he’s a busy bee this time of year.

“So we have to clean these pallets for shipping. We are shipping these bees out to the largest organized pollination event in the world,” he said.

He was making the final preps to ship these bees out, cleaning off one thing.

“A bagworm. And this is what California says they do not have. So they will reject this whole load,” he said, making sure to clean off all the bugs.

Bugs aren’t the only issue right now.

“The cold has also slowed the bees down as far as how fast they grow. Typically, we would have a bigger bee population and more brood, so when they hit the ground in California, they hit the ground running. But because it’s been so cold probably the last three weeks, we’re looking at probably a 25 to 35% reduction in hive growth right now,” he said.

Ham isn’t the only beekeeper concerned, as he has talked with others across the country.

“A lot of those beekeepers couldn’t ship their bees because it was so cold. The bees aren’t strong enough to go,” he said. “So you’re talking a bigger bee shortage in California than we’ve ever seen. And more problems for those beekeepers since they rely on that economically.”

For now, Ham is focused on keeping his bees strong, not just for travel but also for the upcoming citrus bloom next month.

“We just make sure they have enough feed, and that’s about all you can do,” he said.

His goal is to make sure the bees are warm and ready to pollinate.