> As far as almonds are concerned I am sure the shortage has > been discussed in their newsletters as it has been at the spring > meetings. 2010 and one other year of the last five there was a > big shortage. Both those years the problem was directly related > to industry hive health. Bob, as I said previously, I'm not aware of any almond, apple, cherry, kiwi, etc. grower associations that have claimed yields of these crops have been compromised in recent years due to a shortage of either native or managed pollinators. Specific examples: Here is a May 3, 2010 articile in the Western Farm Press about the status of the 2010 almond crop: http://westernfarmpress.com/tree-nut-crops/almond-crop-measures-up-0503/index.html The article didn't say a shortage of bees compromised almond yields this year. The article said: "some growers who stocked 2.5 hives per acre this year probably would have benefitted by having 3.5 hives". and "Colony strength was a key factor this season. Blocks where colonies averaged above 12 frames have a record crop, while growers with colonies that were split into less than an eight frame average prior to being moved into the orchard had a fair nut set." Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif. *********************************************** 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 Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm