Hello Tony & All,
I am sure Tony's sources give an accurate pricing for their area of
California but California Almond groves run for hundreds of miles and a
million hives are needed.  600,000 hives are said to come from other states.
Price fixing is against the law and supply and demand is the rule today in
California.

Tony said:
Regarding Mr Norton's question on almond pollination prices
According to one of my sources, 8+ frames are $62 and singles 5-6 frames(6
ave)are $48.

My observations last year while on two trips to California with bees:

I personally did not see any singles last year except for a percentage of
singles beekeepers brought from out of state  to put the boxes of deadouts
on when moved into Almonds.

I did notice that many California beekeepers run hives in one and a half
boxes instead of two deeps ( and turn the hive entrances the wrong way on
skids or is it we in the Midwest turn our entrances the wrong way?).

All out of state hives I saw were in two deeps. All the hives of other
beekeepers I dug through had plenty bees but little brood.


Tony said:
Hives are said to be up and down this year with some real small clusters.

Brokers of bees have been telling out of state beekeepers *this* year that
they can place  hives with little clusters due to the number of beekeepers
not pollinating in California this year ( my own experience).

Last year my associates and I would eat breakfast everyday in the same
restaurant as the Almond growers and talk. The growers will accept weak
hives when they can not get strong hives but I assure you the growers know
which beekeepers supply strong hives on a regular basis and move in and out
of the Almonds quickly when asked.

It is very hard to increase prices on the larger Almond growers because they
are very understanding when you have got problems, Always pay on time and
are bunch of friendly guys. They usually use many different beekeepers to
pollinate their groves so all of you need to get together to increase prices
and you have always got a beekeeper wanting a bigger share of the
pollination pie so many beekeepers are not getting the high prices Tony's
sources are  talking about.

The Almond growers I met  tell you jokes, show pictures of family, pay for
breakfast at times , are quick to critic weak hives or ruts left in groves
and  say you are driving too fast through the groves ( I was warned twice
sternly) but they always change the subject when the subject of higher
pollination fees come up.

What good is a higher Almond fee if you can not collect your fee the larger
Almond growers say. Then with a grin they tell of a poor Midwest beekeeper
which did not get paid for his troubles the year before. Same story with
most bee brokers.

Forget making a honey crop off Almonds. The honey tastes terrible. You won't
see a jar of honey for sale in California marked "Almond Honey" (or at least
I didn't!).

Bob

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