The cactus bee bets everything on a 3-week window. Emerging from underground nests within hours of when prickly pear blooms open, these specialist bees demonstrate nature's most extreme all-or-nothing survival strategy. Miss the bloom by a week? The entire generation fails. We reveal the 365-day underground timer, the 99% pollination effectiveness, and why climate change is breaking this ancient partnership. Plus: what commercial growers discovered when they measured native cactus bees versus honeybees—and why the industry didn't want to admit the truth. It's all or nothing, and the stakes have never been higher.
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