Hello Tim & All,
I could come up  with 20 hives in other areas which could benefit from the
Almond bloom. Is this number too small?

Certainly not. Until a person has traveled to California and seen the number
of Almond trees in person the vastness of  the trees is hard to apprieciate.
Almond trees to not produce Almonds without pollination and many many small
groves are owned by individuals with only 10-20 acres needing bees( or 10-20
beehives)!

The small owners  do all the work of maintaining the grove but hire the
harvest done about like small orange grove owners  do in Florida in the area
I grew up.

Tim asks:
Does anyone know how I would go about finding a
small grower who only needs small amounts?

For a small grower in your area I would run an ad in your local paper. If
you see a grove of 20 acres of Almonds without bee hives when the trees are
about to bloom (like now) stop and knock on the  owners door and inquire if
he needs bees. I always give a jar of honey to the owner for the trouble. A
small jar of honey can turn a frown on a land owners face to a smile .  For
larger amounts I would contact one of the people which are currently
advertising for hives in Bee Culture or the American Bee Journal (but they
may charge a fee). You might call  and ask the big brokers regardless if a
small grower has called in your area needing hives as they place the large
growers hives first usually.
.
Tim said:
I'm frankly not interested after spending so much money getting rid of mites
to bring back my hives full of mite and beetles, and I'd like to keep my
bees away from other hives.

Opps! Pollination may not be for you. There are also a few problems which I
will not go into besides the two you mentioned and most beekeepers are
honest but if loss of all your hives from theft or accident are a
consideration then pollination may not be for you.

Bob

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