Hello Allen & All,
Thanks for the discussion! After the decades of you being one of the largest
commercial beekeepers in Canada I feel you understand the area of thinking I
come from.

You were one of the reasons I came on BEE-I years ago. I have
read your diary since the start and parts many times. I recommend all
beekeepers interested in commercial beekeeping to go to the start and read
the diary. You will be glad you did! I was!

My problem now is time. The season has started . Most of us are working
seven days a week. My truck is sitting outside waiting for me right now
ready to go to the bee yards. First round of queens ( Terry Brown Australia)
come next week.

 along with the *certainty* of sunk (locked-in and spent) costs, if a
> risk-adjusted analysis might not prove that disease resistant stocks --
> assuming they exist -- to be more consistently profitable, with lower
> locked-in costs, even if the income level may be a bit lower, too.

I agree! The reason I test all new ideas and varroa tolerant queens. I ( as
my fellow beeks) would love to drop all treatments!


> Seems to me that Charlie mentioned some commercial beekeepers are doing
> pollinating successfully with Russian stock.

I heard Charlie say so but I can provide Charlie with the name if he emails
of the only Russian beekeeper which I know of which has sent a semi load to
almonds. I do not want to embarrass the Russian beekeeper. He is a friend 
and firmly believes in the Russian bee as the savior of our industry. I 
believe not this year but maybe in the future.

His load was
totally rejected as the whole load was on three frames of bees in January
( and had came out of the deep south). The beek got his hives back and the
adventure cost around twenty thousand dollars out of his own pocket.

Please email Charlie and I will share the name but I suspect you know the
story.

I am sure you can use the Russian bees for late spring and summer
pollination but I doubt for almonds or  apples and cherries in Washington
state in very early spring..

>
> The one most important lesson I have learned in agriculture is that those
> who survive in the long run are not those with the highest production and
> the largest inputs, but always are those with the consistently lowest cost
> base and most conservative approach to input expense and risk.

I agree ! especially about conservative approach to input expense.

bob

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