?> > However, *my* almond growers pay only for live colonies, and pay extra
for stronger ones.
> Why do you let almond growers dictate the almond fee (we have had this
> conversation before).
You can charge whatever you like, but a transaction only occurs when both
parties meet at a price. Smart growers expect hives to meet standards.
I did a tour of the almond pollination several years ago and also met with
the ARS crew working there as well. Joe Traynor was kind enough to invite
me to attend an inspection where he looked into hives with the grower. All
the hives were very strong, and most were far above the minimums. On the
way to meet the researchers farther down the road, someone lifted a few
random lids on hives located on the road allowance and I watched entrance
activity. Many of those hives, apparently from a number of different
operations, were dead or so weak that they would not pollinate. Did the
growers agree to high prices for those hives? Did they ever check to see if
what they were billed for was what they got? Did they pay the bill or
contest it? Were any of those yours?
> What kind of business absorbs and does not pass costs on to the consumer?
Some "costs" don't actually cost, but pay dividends. If so, there are
savings and competition ensures that some of those savings are passed "on to
the consumer"
> If remebee increases honey production four times ( as advertised) than it
> only seems right the Remebee feed bees should be worth more money?
Yes, live hives should pay more than dead ones. I wonder if they always do?
At any rate, I assume that the "four times ( as advertised) " refers to bees
treated compared to bees which were inoculated with IAPV or apiaries which
had a natural infection. Live colonies out-produce dead and dying colonies.
> Am I the only person which thinks an increase of four times in honey
> production ( has to increase pollination also in order to get the honey
> increase) is quite a claim. Also *if* remebee or remebee pro is not
> intended *by the maker* for use on *healthy * bees then why the increase
> in honey production claims?
See above. Also, as I asked before, how can one know on the spot if
colonies are "healthy" and not infected with IAPV? This will be an
interesting question. If there is no easy method, then the only choice will
be treat blindly on the chance that IAPV is a problem -- or don't treat
until the damage is obvious.
> So I guess that they are paying extra for those who invest what they can
> to supply strong colonies. Or is there something that I am not
> understanding?
Do you carry insurance? Assuming that IAPV or other viruses influenced by
this treatment are actually a significant and common cause of weak or dead
colonies, this can be regarded as insurance.
There are many more questions to answer, though, before we can assume that
this is a harmless and effective solution to a problem that may or may not
exist.
> Sugar is at .55 a pound.(up) Fuel costs are high.(up ) Remebee costs
> might be a new cost.
Yes, but they might keep beekeepers from wasting sugar and fuel feeding and
hauling dead and dying bees to California and back.
> My point is if U.S. pollination is WORTH $212 billion a year then
> commercial beekeepers are getting ripped off. Not rocket science.
What would in your opinion be a fair share of that? Beekeepers get far more
than cash for their contribution. For one thing, they get free or almost
free locations. Consider what an oil or gas company pays for use of a small
patch of land to what a beekeeper pays for the same spot. What beekeeper
could afford to pay what those locations are really worth?
> Some outfits are running in the red but afraid to increase pollination
> pricing. Especially on crops other than almonds.
If they can keep their bees alive and strong, then maybe they won't see so
much red.
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