>This one is claiming, "A shortage of bees and beekeepers in Virginia could
threaten this year's apple, peach, cucumber, melon, cantaloupe and pumpkin
harvests".

All along the east coast this year there will be pollination shortages.
Florida will be hard hit. The Florida Beekeepers met last month to discuss
the problem.

Many of the hives which did last years Florida and east coast pollination
for the most part are now owned by beekeepers on the west coast.

Allen asks:
Is the problem anything that doubling the pollination fee would not cure?

If doubling the pollination fee would cause hives to be removed from June
honey harvests in the Dakotas (150-200Lb.) and trucked over a thousand miles
to pollinate those zero honey producing agriculture crops on which many
times the bees need fed and rotated in an out then maybe will work. I would
not hold my breath!

Will certainly look like a gold mine to a few Virginia beekeepers. Hand
carry those hives in and out a pickup load at a time.

Allen asks:
Seems to me that something is wrong here.  Are we as important as we claim
to be?

The value of honeybees for pollination is well documented.

My future plans to help desperate growers:

I plan to sit on my porch (kind of like the "U wrench it" used parts junk
yard) and collect the fees & deposit and hand each grower a map to the bee
yard.

 Each orchard owner can move and return the hives.

Their punishment for planting orchards without a clue as to the place they
will get the bees for pollination!

After the business gets going I might  start a "Used rent a wreck " for old
bee trucks to rent to those growers to use.

Allen asks:
Did any almond growers in California actually go without bees in the end?
(Anybody know?)

Of course they did and many went with half the hives they wanted.

Will take awhile to see the almond nut set and effect on this years crop.

The hives out of Florida were a big help to almond pollination but now
Florida has a pollination problem.

Bob

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