The Californian drought's wrath isn't leaving anyone behind - not even honeybees.
The state's lack of rain has taken a toll on plants and has caused farmers to decrease crop productions, which doesn't leave that many places for honeybees to look for food, according to The Associated Press.
"Our honey crop is severely impacted by the drought, and it does impact our bottom line as a business," said Los Banos beekeeper Gene Brandi, who is also the vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
Not only has the three-year drought wreaked havoc on California's water supply, but it's also causing supplies of California honey to decrease, making it harder for beekeepers to work and making consumers pay more for the product. And this is a tough pill to swallow, since bee pollination brings in more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Honeybees have been the most recent victim of the dry spell, which has caused more than 80 percent of California to suffer "extreme drought" and almost 60 percent of the state to suffer "exceptional drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
David Bradshaw said his 3,800 hives usually produce about 250 barrels of honey each year. But due to the drought, his bees have produced one-tenth of that, according to KQED Science.
"You can tell the bees are hungry," Bradshaw said.
Apiculturist Eric Mussen told Capital Public Radio that it is likely more bees will die and beekeepers may give up.
The drought is only making matters worse for honey consumers, since bee populations across the world have recently decreased due to pesticides, parasites and colony collapse disorder, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Since the drought began in 2010, honey production has fallen from 27.5 million pounds to 10.9 million pounds in 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states.
The price of honey has also increased from $4.87 before the drought, to $6.32 in 2014, according to the National Honey Board.
But the honeybees aren't the only ones suffering. Businesses and the beekeepers are, too.
"They keep coming back wanting more and it's very painful to say, 'We don't have it,'" business owner Helene Marshall told AP. "There's increased demand because of increased awareness of how good it is for you and there is less supply."
"We need honeybees for everything," Amelia Barad-Humphries, who has a teaspoon of honey every day to manage her allergies, told AP. "People should be paying attention."
Honey isn't the only food affected. Almonds, other tree nuts, berries, fruits and vegetable depend on honeybee pollination. Actually, the United States Department of Agriculture suggests about one out of every three bites of food we take directly or indirectly benefits from honeybee pollination.
No one knows what will happen after the drought, but beekeeper Spencer Marshall has a prediction.
"The bees may come back, but the beekeepers may not," he told AP.
