> Do beekeepers find it difficult to provide > a small number of hives to small growers? Yes. a) The labor and trouble required to "move hives" means that someone who wants only 3 hives must pay much more per hive than someone who wants 30 or 60 hives, if the beekeeper is to hope to break even, let alone (gasp!) make a profit. b) Sure, it would be great if a group of growers could ban together, get organized, and at least arrange for delivery of hives at the same time to several places near each other, but I've never seen or heard of this happening myself. > Is the fact that they only need a handful of hives a > barrier to them getting them? Not if they seek out a small beekeeper who might not even have a truck or trailer. If the beekeeper had someone who provided the truck, and helped with the heavy lifting (the beekeeper would seal the hives beforehand) in the middle of the night, small growers and small beekeepers could both benefit. A group of growers could even rent a lift-gate truck, which would be ideal for a small move. > Does demand for hives from large growers mean that > there are no hives available? It is more a function of "agreements". I take my hives every year to the same orchards. I will likely do so until I die. We have a very long-term agreement. Others have year-to-year agreements, but their bees are "reserved" long before spring. > Is it mainly hobbyist or part-time beekeepers who can help? Sure they can, see above as to why they may not want to at present. > Do these growers tend to keep a few hives themselves? Maybe some growers do. Any grower could. One problem is that the bees need to be moved out of crops before they are sprayed, and most "growers" don't have good forage to support bee colonies. Growers have created massive areas of monoculture, where bees would starve if left "near the crop". jim (I had a few hives, and lots of theories about beekeeping, but now I have lots of hives, and no theories at all.) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::