Hello Keith & All,

> I don't use excuses,i.e... the bees were in the snow, I was too lazy to
feed them in the winter, or something called the mites got me  ect, ect...if
you're going to run in the almonds ,then run your bees like a business and
not a hobby.

Many of us have been renting "field run " bees into almonds for a long time.
Some are on 12 frames and some are on five frames but they average out.

Beekeepers in cold climates try to get the hives ready in fall and then may
not get a chance to look at the hives before shipping to California. A
recent issue of Bee Culture showed Brent Adee digging hives out of a South
Dakota snow to ship to California.
The way its been done for decades.

If California almond growers/brokers  do not want those hives just say so
but don't screw us around after we get to California after you have been
begging for hives!

Many Midwest beekeepers ( like last year) feel $70 a hive is fair for those
hives and will deduct any dead hives. Surely you have seen the posters in
the groves by those boys?

Those boys will cut your prices till they get the whole pie.

Keith hives $160 for 2007

Good old boys $70 -75 for 2007

Beekeepers will cut each others throats!

You may not be worried Keith but I assure you others are.

Using the "new" broker standards many Midwest beekeepers actually made less
last year than than in past years and many lost big bucks.

> Almond growers are paying premium prices for bee rentals, they should get,
and deserve, quality bees.

Or

Buy field run bees at less than half the cost like many did last year and
take your chances.

We need to get the issue fixed before Canadian beekeepers start sending
hives in. I do not want to see my Canadian friends get screwed.

I have looked through many California beekeepers hives and out of state
hives while I have been in California doing almonds.

I never saw hives like you say yours are nor any hives other than field run
in the hives of out of state beekeepers.

The strongest hives I lever looked at  in California came from Texas to
California in
December ( around 10,000).

I have looked at plenty of crappy California hives in singles and one and a
half. The year our bees came to California by way of Texas the almond grower
said he had NEVER had local bees so strong.

Almonds are just one stop in many for out of state migratory beekeepers.
Field run bees are good enough for all the other crops.

My opinion for what its worth:
Some California beekeepers & brokers are selling a bill of goods to those
almond growers and the growers  have taken the hook and went into deep
water.

If the line breaks those growers will be buying field run bees again.

I don't believe you can show the almond grower the $160 hive (2007 projected
fee from one California broker) however strong is worth the extra money.

Good luck with that.

Bob

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