Hello Randy & All,
I should leave this post alone but will make a few comments. The state of 
the bee industry is good overall except for a few beeks on the east coast 
trying to come up with an off label method to use the product in Hivastan. 
Those beeks which say the product will work are wrong guys. One dumb ----  
has lost 90% of his operation using what he was told at the Sacramento 
meeting .

> There is a great deal of animosity by California beekeepers (who depend 
> upon
> almond pollination for income) towards out of state beekeepers who are
> driving pollination prices down.

Not long ago California beeks told us the price was high due to demand. Why 
true back then and not now?  If the above high price was based on supply and 
demand then the glut of bees right now would it seem drive the price down.

Those California beeks with a signed contract are not complaining. Only the 
beeks which told the growers they were not sure what the final cost might be 
are complaining. No contract and hives at half the price available through 
the newspaper will cause almond growers to seek new beekeepers.

Our field run hives ( the hives California beeks say we drop in the field 
and run)  were sold into almonds on a 5 frame average basis and graded by 
California graders at a 8 frame average. many others are reporting 
exceptioonal field run bees this year.

Word travels fast among almond growers. Even in your articles 2009 was the 
year a big shortage was to occur as the new plantings were coming on 
line.Bring out of state hives. No talk of a possible water issue or the 
effect of todays low almond prices.

 Extra hives were brought in. Hardly any Australian packages were brought in 
as most opperations had the best bees in years.

In most cases the almond growers are contacting the large beeks and asking 
for the hives. The large beeks have no idea the name of the former beekeeper 
which did the pollination last year. Cell phone numbers are being passed 
around among growers. growers impressed with field run bees are phoning 
other not under contract growers.

I do not want to cause hard feelings with California( C)  beeks but what 
many growers are saying is that the feedlot hives produced by California 
beeks grade good but do not perform like strong out of state hives moved 
into almonds. What they say is that the California hives sit waiting for the 
beek to bring another pollen patty ( one C.  beek says he feeds around 14-15 
patties before almonds) or gallon of syrup ( one C. beek says he feeds up to 
10 gallons of syrup to his bees before almonds) whereas the out of state 
hives go right to work.

I live in the Midwest and when we move cattle into the feedlot the cattle 
quit grazing and stand by the feeder all day waiting for the next round of 
feed. Ask any cattle rancher!

Not sure how applies to bees but most of us feed the bees diesel fumes 
between natural sources of feed. I know from my days of open feeding that 
the bees have a long memory and many times are slow to leave a provided feed 
source when a natural source becomes available.

>
> The resentment is that some other states make it difficult for Calif
> beekeepers to place bees for summer pasture, yet California allows any and
> all to come crash our party, leave a mess, and stick us with the bill.

an inconveniate truth:

The problem is not out of state beeks as much as the almond growers. Those 
are the people with the clout in Sacremneto. Why are those growers not loyal 
to you? Ask yourself why they are jumping ship?
You charge pollination fees higher than any other in the U.S. and then 
pollinate apples , peaches and other crops right after almonds for 20-35 
bucks.

>
> I am simply reporting the opinions of others--they do not necessarily
> reflect the opinions of management, staff, or sponsors, and we are not
> directly pointing any fingers at my friend Bob Harrison, whose name has 
> not
> been changed to protect the innocent.  :)

In agriculture you never count your chickens before they are hatched. Same 
way in commercial beekeeping.  Each year is different. A quiet push was made 
to open the Mexican border in 2009. Did not happen. I predict will happen 
before long and under WTO rules will open. I personally do not want the 
Mexican border opened and have said so for years. My point is that this 
years supply and demand issue causing problems is a small issue for 
California beeks compared to what it will be like in almonds should the 
Mexican border open.
Not sure of exact figures today but the California almond pollination 
*party* takes a million hives of which around 400,000 are provided by 
California beeks. As soon as the larger number of hives going into almonds 
became the out of state beeks then C. beeks lost control of the *party*.

Many C. beeks claim to *understand* the *party* but I think many of those 
complaining are do not really understand the game.

In poker you only count your money when the dealing is done.

In Chess you NEVER underestimate your opponent.

My advice to C. beeks for 2110 is to get a iron clad contract. Set a price 
you can live with before almonds. agree to bring in a strength you are sure 
you can provide. If you sign for 8 frames and you turn up with less then the 
grower can get out of the contract.

We saw a problem coming and went in at last years prices. No 2009 price 
increase. Not knowing what the  bees would look like coming out of the 
Midwest in January most  signed a 5 frame average contract. Most brought 8 
frame  and were paid for 5. Hive available for almonds were not sent due to 
the glut.

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