>
>
>a)  Pollination business
>b)  Honey producing business
>
>
>(a) and (b) are often semi-compatible with only minor
>compromises in most years,


I pollinated apples for 20 years, supplying 400 - 600 colonies to the
orchard. I found the difference between colonies I moved and colonies I
didn't move to be way more than minor compromises.

         Every colony moved lost a super of honey...at today's prices that
is about $45. The strong colonies lost enough strength to make a
nuc...that's $60. The pollinators always had to be fed more for winter. I
used to feed more than 30 drums of HFCS each fall, and now I feed less than
10...about $2. And then there's wintering. I always lost 10 to 15% more
colonies of those that pollinated than those that didn't.

So, for a $35 pollination fee, I could lose more than $100 in income.
Hardly a minor compromise, wouldn't you say?

I no longer pollinate apples, and couldn't be happier.

Mike

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