We already had a good discussion on this.
https://veganforum.org/threads/should-vegans-avoid-avocados-and-almonds.3166/#post-16709
and then
https://veganforum.org/threads/vegantiarian-sufficiently-vegan.3230/#post-17124
Just a few days ago I participated in a thread about Vegan Gray Areas. And I feel like now we can put avocados and almonds in the category of gray areas.
https://veganforum.org/threads/vegan-grey-areas.3442/#post-19072
Honey was already one of those pesky "controversial issues". And I feel like almonds is just the flip side of the honey argument.
I haven't taken avocados and almonds off my plate. But I don't eat very much of them anyway. I do now think twice about buying them.
I do think that it's worth thinking about what is happening to bees. As a Californian, I can just about watch in real time how the new popularity of Almonds is changing the landscape. Although I much rather see almond groves than dairy farms, it's kind of a shock when you realize that each February 3/4 of the bee population of the US is busy fertilizing almonds in California.
I've read several different articles. Some authors say that 3/4 of our crops are pollinated by bees. Some say its just 1/3. No matter which, it's significant.
No one knows what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder. But I would be surprised if they don't find out that it has something to do with commercial bee management practices.
I was listening to some radio broadcast on people talking out the end of the world scenarios. And one guy suggested it could start with a total collapse of the American Bee industry and an American famine. How about that for a new nightmare.