James Fischer wrote:
> The basic problem here is that when you rent the
> absolute minimum number of hives, less than ideal
> weather can result in much less pollination, much
> smaller harvests, and much lower profits.

 From the article:
Quote-The projected drop in the crop is because of considerable winter
injury to the plants as well as a good amount of mummyberry disease,
which is caused by a fungus. Additionally, the cool, wet conditions of
spring and summer curtailed the pollination of the fields. -Unquote

We had a bad winter here in Maine. Winter injury caused a major
reduction in strawberries and apples, which I can attest to since I grow
both. (In addition, we lost all our roses.)

I have twice the number of hives I had last year, so it is not the bees
available. The blueberry growers have generally been good and tend to go
toward the higher numbers of colonies to pollinate, not the minimum.
They still do not know what the actual number of colonies is to get
maximum pollination, so they tend toward more is better since that has
worked in the past. Some are trying to run tests to arrive at the right
number, but seasons like this one do not help.

Our weather has been cold and wet most of the spring and summer.
Yesterday it was about 65F for a max. We might see the sun today after a
week of rain, cold and clouds. Not the greatest weather for pollination,
especially with clover in bloom.

The weather cycle has been this way since early spring when we had a
long, warm spell which tricked some plants into an early start, then a
cold snap that killed the tender ones off, along with any buds/blossoms
on the more hardy. Plus, with the extended cold and wet, fungus diseases
have thrived (as I saw on my strawberry blossoms).

But, to confound me, my peaches did make it through the winter and there
  is even some fruit. But they did blossom well after the late freeze.

Growing things in Maine is a challenge. Those who have lived here a
while know, in Maine, there are only two seasons, winter and the 4th of
July.

Bill Truesdell (as I type this, wearing a sweatshirt to stay warm.)
Bath (the frozen tundra), Maine

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