> Why don't prices go through the 
> roof for other crops, like apples in NYS?

You'd might have to pollinate apples for a few years to see how it differs. 

Like beekeeping itself, the barriers to entry in the apple pollination
business are minimal, but the barriers to success are extremely high.  The
growers who are price sensitive will take a chance on those with little
experience who underbid to get the business, and they will get exactly what
they pay for year after year.  They never see value, so they never are
willing to pay more.  They will keep trying a new beekeeper every year, and
have the effrontery to wonder why all beekeepers are so incompetent. 

There are growers who see the value in quality pollination services, and
they do pay above-market rates for above-market performance, on-time
logistics, and strong colonies that do the job.

But in apples, one quietly builds long-term relationships with a set of
grower-clients, there are no brokers, no price wars, no sturm und drang, no
press coverage, no threats to bring in overseas bees.  There is a lot of
referral business once one proves one's worth, more business than one can
handle, and over-scheduling one's bees can be the downfall of an otherwise
profitable, successful effort.

Maybe the experience is different for others, but I had a client list who
never looked elsewhere, and were happy to pay higher rates.  Of course, my
services were paid for in a "percentage of the crop", and I was not paid
until the apples were being sold, so part of my success was my ability to
wait to be paid until the grower was flush with cash and in a generous mood.

And in good years, I made more, just like the grower,  and in bad years, I
was not an undue burden.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html