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. **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * ****************************************************