Lloyd asks:
I was just told by a customer in Idaho that he signed a 2005 pollination
contract at $100 a hive!  Any confirmation of that?

I would love to see a copy of the fine print of the contract?

We had an offer of $100 for double deep hives with eleven frame of bees and
keeping the hives for orange before shipping back.

Of course eleven frames is impossible for us to meet *on average* so when
looked at and frames of bees averaged the price would be back in the $50 &
up range.

 Small growers always offer higher prices to attract beekeepers but most
large growers are  below $70 this year I HAVE BEEN TOLD.

Many Almond growers are hiring local beekeepers to check *out of state*
hives for frames of bees this year which we never had a problem with before
as they realize many weak hives (and deadouts)  will try to be used this
year to polinate Almonds.

 Many growers are wanting written pollination contracts this year which we
never had to do before. Not to protect the beekeeper but the grower.

Blueberries in Maine offer a higher price for stronger hives but the price
always drops with Tony's average.

Lloyd  asks:
I wonder what that will mean to East Coast pollination, where the going
migratory rate for apples has been stuck at $35 for as many years as I can
remember, and Maine blueberries have been going at $45-$50?

 Supply & demand is the reason for the higher price for Almond pollination.
Period.

In our Midwest area:
As long as beekeepers are willing to under cut the competition then growers
will take advantage of the beekeeper.

Every year an out of state beekeeper will undercut a pollination bid   in
our area. Then when the bees do not do the job our phone rings. All the
growers know  the price goes up when our bees are brought in to pollinate
*if* the out of state beekeeper brings in weak hives or nucs instead of
hives.

Last year the out of state beekeeper was using an old jeep with a forklift
mast. The harmonic balancer flew off and went through the radiator. Our
phone rang to save the day.

Several years ago 450 hives (another beekeeper) were brought from Texas to
pollinate an orchard we pollinated the year before but lost the bid by
trying to raise the fee by a couple bucks a hive..

 A desperate grower called as the Texas bees were barely flying. We looked
at the hives (really nucs) and they barely had enough bees to cover the
brood. The temp was too low for the bees to leave the brood. Not rocket
science.

Again we saved both the Texas beekeeper &  the grower by bringing in hives
so strong many were ready to were swarm as they had been building up in
pollination in California the week before.

Now that honey prices are sinking fast ( like a rock!) then many beekeepers
will look again at pollination. It is interesting  as I was told by a
California Almond grower  if Midwest beekeepers stopped coming to pollinate
Almonds in order to make a honey crop instead they would never pollinate
Almonds in California again!

Not in 2005!

 Bob

Happy New year to All!

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