Millions of bees killed in Mountain Fire, loss may impact agriculture industry in Ventura County

SOMIS, Calif. (KABC) -- The devastating mountain fire in Ventura County burned more than just homes -- it burned livelihoods as well. And now a man is trying to get his bee service business back up after more than 100 colonies were scorched.

Eduardo Flores showed Eyewitness News what the Mountain Fire destroyed. His Ventura Bee Rescue company services around a dozen growers in the burn area in Somis and Camarillo. He showed one of the spots where he had several hives set up for his bees to pollinate the orchards.

He lost 150 colonies of bees. Each colony has between 40,000 to 80,000 bees. That adds up to millions of bees lost to the fire.

"This place was buzzing. You couldn't hear yourself think at times, especially in the warmer times of the day -- bees everywhere. And they're busy working orchards all around. We have native trees here, pepper trees, eucalyptus, there's water down there because of the creek so this is a great wintering spot," Flores said.

What he needs are bees to replenish the millions he's lost. According to the Ventura County Agriculture Department, the agricultural industry in the county is valued at around $2 billion.

Bees are a very important tool in growing crops. Flores has set up a GoFundMe account to raise funds to replace the hives and other equipment destroyed in the Mountain Fire.

"It's a big blow. It sets us back. Acquiring equipment, we have to build it, we have to paint it, we have to get it prepared... every day we're loading the truck with more equipment as we use it," said Flores. "When the busy season comes in the spring that's when the bees are most active... right now it's the winter, this is when we spend most our time building boxes for next year."