Walemar said:
>>>I can imagine a run up in prices as fewer US beekeepers will have
sufficient colonies to offer.
We're facing major grower resistance to prices.  Most can handle the $125
price for strong colonies.  Some willingly pay $150.  I'm getting $165 for
11 framers.  It all depends upon the price of nuts.  Growers are ripping out
orchards that aren't making money, and pollination prices are the tipping
point for some!  The growers are a deep pocket, but not limitlessly deep.
We Calif beeks are looking to work with the growers and maintain long-term
contracts.  Many long-term contracts were broken this year, due to out of
state competition.  Supply and demand will determine how much the growers
can afford (and are willing to) pay, and from the beeks perspective, how
much it costs to produce strong colonies to meet demand.

>>> Perhaps, faced with a shortage, California will relax their grading
policies or push to open up the borders to Canadian and Mexican beekeepers.
"California" doesn't have a grading policy--individual orchardists do.  They
need "x" number of bees flying to pollinate the crop.  "x" is determined by
grading.  Farmers don't want to throw their hard-earned money away, any more
than a beekeeper would accept 25 pounds of pollen supplement when he pays
for a 50-pound sack!
Mexican beeks would bring in AHB's next to farmhouses.  Canadian bees would
require the Canadians to reciprocally accept US bees into the Peace River
Valley.  Neither is likely to happen.
Randy Oliver

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