Hello Randy & All,

> Commercial beeks in California may not even own a honey extractor.

Honey is selling now for $1.50 a pound. I have seen a drum of honey made
from a pallet of 4 hives in areas of the Dakotas. ( secret areas). A yard of
40 hives produce 10 drums.

 Our main
> income is from almond pollination,

Almond pollination is only one stop of many for out of state beeks.


and we may sign contracts in November.
> Taking 50% winter losses after the contract is signed is troublesome.

We have taken bees in Texas and split on fall honey crops. Then sent into
almonds and then back to the Midwest. Almonds pays the winter trucking. Bees
build better in Texas than in California in winter. Some flows ( secret
Peter) run into November.


In
> California, it is a numbers game--how many strong colonies you have on Feb
> 15th.

Bob Brandi told me he has around 10 pollination contracts for each hive a
year. I guess there are too many beeks for all California beeks to cash in
on all the pollination contracts.
>
, or to move to better pasture, or perhaps a
> honey crop.

Dakota is getting crowded since the Adee's have doubled their numbers. The
Adee's have created some hard feelings by trying to get the 3 mile limit
dropped for locations. The Adee's are moving into other beekeeping families
areas they have had for 50-100 years. Also many  beeks which have been
producing honey around Peire , South Dakota are moving east causing hard
feelings.

Another Midwest state has been producing some big crops but will not put the
state on the net as all you California beeks will be rushing in to cash in
with high honey prices. Bigger crops than the Dakotas and wide open country.
>
  We do the same here, as the bees often come out of almonds
> bursting at the seams.

The bees in almonds returning to Missouri were busting at the seams. Around
35 swarms were hanging in the trees from a single semi load. All caught and
sold of course to newbees. The bees were knocked back to a couple frames of
brood and the largest apple orchard in Missouri said those were the best
bees we ever brought in. Still doing great. No CCD here.
We did see some DWV and some mite loads about six weeks ago and hope getting
the supers off and treating will be in time.

Our only worry is what we might find when the supers pulled. I picked up
three obvious dead outs from 7 yards the other day and left on a pallet
outside. I went out at 7 am and the bees in the home yard (around fifty)
were robbing hell out of the boxes. I had to put on the container to stop
the robbing. No CCD boxes which bees will not rob.

yes Italians will steal before they will starve.

Honey crop:
So far so good. The soy beans bloomed in one area and the hives each filled
a couple supers each last week. Even with bees in two deeps and supers
pilled high big beard on the front. Soy beans bloom every time it rains.
However the soil conditions have to be just right and the humidity high for
the bees to work the beans in my area. They enter the field from the ends in
the morning usually around 10 am. Nice light honey.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

Ps. Randy thanks for taking my close friend Terry B. with you to look at
your experiments. He said he really enjoyed his visit with you. Said you
worked bees in shorts! When he is with me he talks bees 24-7. I imagine he 
did the same at your house.

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