good question - most growers around here are happy to pay for pollination. IMO all our products
and services as beekeepers should be charged out at an economically sustainable rate. Charging
less is a disservice to other hard working beekeepers.
In central MN I charged $55/colony last year.
thinking of a fuel surcharge of $5/hive this year bringing it to $60
you may wish to get the owners to sign a contract and agree to not spray during bloom. End of
bloom sprays are the most critical of the season and timing is important to work with the
pollinators.
I also grow apples and manage 3 orchards with a combined total of 1800 trees. I leave colonies in
2 of the 3 orchards year around and have no problems. Then again I don't spray much either.
In this region an IPM conventional grower can grow a nice looking crop with the use of only 4
chemicals. This list is from the Univ/MN reccomendations for conventional IPM growers.
captan fungicide for scab
nova fungicide with 72 hr kickback for scab
imidan insecticide for maggot fly & colding moth
topsin late season fungicide for sooty blotch
Ask the grower if they use restricted use chemicals. If they do you may wish to bow out. That
class of chems is not needed to make a crop. Ask if they use IPM trapping techniques for maggot
fly, coddling moth or other pests. Using this approach can reduce total sprays to 4 or 5 in a whole
season. Spraying by calendar (every 10 days) is like using Fluvalinate or Coumaphos for bees - its
obsolete and an out dated approach.
Finally Here is a link to a 2006 publication titled How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/abstract.php?seriesno=PNW+591
note you can view the entire publication online first before purchasing. I purchased this last spring
and gave copies to land owners where I keep bees and also the orchards beside my own I pollinate
in spring and they all seemed appreciative and concerned.
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