>> The strong colonies lost enough strength to make a nuc...that's $60.

> ...aren't you counting the impact twice here?

Not really.

In our experience, we, too, found that moving, with attendant potential loss
of brood, and the monoculture characteristic of the pollination areas, and
overcrowding necessary to get good seed set,

1.) weakened our bees,

2.) produced less honey,

3.) left the brood chambers emptier than if they ahd been on a good flow.

Moreover,

4.) we lost more hives in winter.

> Same question as above.  You now appear to be counting the same
> impact 3 times.

How do you figure that?

1.) One super less surplus honey, 2.) no nucs, 3.) a need to feed the hives
up in fall due to empty briood chambers, and 4.) subsequent winter loss, are
four separate losses -- albeit arising from the same cause.

>> So, for a $35 pollination fee, I could lose more than $100 in income.
>> Hardly a minor compromise, wouldn't you say?
>
> I'm not sure I agree with your bookkeeping methodology,

I do.

All beekeeping (not bookeeping, tho') is local, and there are pollination
jobs that build hives up, and some that wear them out.  If you are lucky
enough to be paid to take your hives to sites where they thrive, many of us
envy you.

As far back as the mid-nineties, Andy was saying (in regards alfalfa, but
also other crops in other messages) that "Using honeybees for Alfalfa seed
pollination is " good farming practice, but is a BAD beekeeping practice.
Real beekeepers pollinate alfalfa for the cash flow, bee locations, and bad
judgement."  See
http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9605D&L=bee-l&P=R3972

When we polinated canola, we got over $100 for our pollination, and we
needed it to justify the wear on our bees.  Now the same job is paying as
much as $150, and there is no huge line of beekkeepers waiting to sign
contracts.  some who are pollinating now plan to stay home next year.

Mike's accounting is sound.  (Divide my numbers by 1.3008 to get US dollars.
(A few minutes ago, at least).

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com

PS  How do people like the changes to the BEE-L page (below)?  Write me, not
the list with comments.

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