Hello Keith & All,

>I will try to explain this a little better, forget about Joe T's 2 %

You need to get my point! The other 98% of the almond pollinators control
the market. Not you or Joe T.

Why is Joe T. the almond broker spokesman?

*Is* his almond pollination handbook the "bible" for almond pollinators?


In short the beekeepers I spoke with want to provide bees without broker
hassle.

 Why pay a middle man?

Randy Oliver on BEE-L said the California brokers only take $4 a hive. I
laughed till I had tears in my eyes. You yourself Keith said your beekeepers
dropped you ( or you dropped those guys) because they would not give you
half the pollination fee.

 Why let the broker hold final payment till May? Especially when some almond
growers said their broker had to be paid in full by end of September to be
sure they got bees. Broker holds money for six months?  Out of state
beekeeper pays all bills and gets final payment in May?



In short out of state are not buying what you guys are selling.

You can keep 2% of the market but you will never hold 98%.

Out of state beekeepers are getting ready *now* for almonds.

 Honey crops are
short this year.

 bees will be coming in (in my opinion) stronger than yours at half the
price. Better you hear from me than be surprised later on.

Friendly advice:
If I were you Keith I would get all your bees under contract early on so
your growers will not jump ship for equal bees at half the price.


>I think if the growers are going to pay hefty pollination bills they have
the right to know what their paying for.

I agree! Once we get the broker out of the way then the beekeeper and the
almond grower can look at the hives and like I said the last time we talked:

. ANY hives the grower is not happy with he does not have to pay for. Has
ALWAYS been the policy in our area!


 The way its always been done.

We don't need a broker like Mike Rossi digging
through the hives or a bunch of part time beekeepers digging through hives
pulling all frames &
killing queens.

Lift the lid and look, then tilt the top box should tell a real beekeeper
the story.

You had the almond growers eating out of your hand this year (those which
did not jump ship) but can you do the same in 2007?

I know many of you California boys don't like to hear what I am saying.

fact:
California beekeepers put pressure on Carla Markham to enforce SHB at the
border costing out of state beekeepers big bucks after California almond
growers had flown Florida beekeepers to California begging for hives. SHb
had been in California hives in large numbers since the late nineties.

Fact;
Out of state beekeepers were assured entering California with SHB on board
would not be a problem.

fact:
Carla Markham told Florida Apiary inspection with the new inspection process
loads from Florida would not be checked at the border. Sorry Carla but the
border people must have not got the memo!

fact:
Plenty of hives were rejected by California brokers which were solid bees in
the top box and into the bottom box (we have got pictures of tagged
rejects).

fact:
Two semi loads were placed in almonds (one in Madera co. & one in Fresno)
and almond fees were collected but the beekeeper was never paid because he
sent the signed contract for 125 a hive back and the broker never sent the
signed by broker contract back.

fact:
The majority of almond pollination is now being done by out of state
beekeeping outfits. NOT CALIFORNIA BEEKEEPERS.

"Field run bees" is a common term among migratory beekeepers. I am surprised
you never heard the term before.

Good luck in the coming season and hope we can agree to disagree on this
almond issue.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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