2008 Almond pollination

[high rate of speed]

Will there be another shortage of bees,or a flood of empty boxes?

[jean-marc]

Are you trying to say it's one or the other?

Jean-Marc

[Keith Jarrett]

,or a flood of empty boxes?

Now why ask a silly question like that. OH... I think a sea of empty Boxes. :)

[loggermike]

Looking into the crystal ball I see....Neither. But this orchard will not need as many hives.:(
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b278/loggermike/IMG_0006.jpg

[high rate of speed]

Maybe the empty boxes are breeding like the mites.

[jean-marc]

So Logger Mike, what happened to those trees?

Jean-Marc

[high rate of speed]

Not logger Mike but we had 60 to 70 mile an hour wind gust,wich played heck on bee lids and almond trees.

[jean-marc]

Evidently that grove seemed to have suffered extensively, but what that the rule or the exception?

Jean-Marc

[loggermike]

That was the worst one I saw, but was told there were others like it in the area. Lots of orchards had lesser damage.This was the Jan.4 windstorm in the Chico area, northern Sacramento Valley. I didn't lose any lids, but only because I hadn't broke any loose in a long time. Others had lots blow off. This orchard looked like half the trees were down.

[HarryVanderpool]

I know of one grower to the west of Loggermike that lost 280 trees.
Also what was a really nice plantation south of Chico a ways that got hit so hard that they are going to clear the entire area and replant.
I guess beekeepers aren't the only farmers that have problems.

Also, all of this joking about renting boxes:
NOBODY that I associate with will be "renting boxes" in almonds.
Rather, the dinks are left behind and its time to go back to work.
;)

[high rate of speed]

package bees or 4-framers sure took a big piece of the pie last year and the year before wich meant alot of good bees did not get rented,there is more junk out than a person really thinks.

[JBJ]

I have also seen good bees go unrented while some restock their losses with packages in the almonds. In fact I know of about 1700 seven frame or better hives looking for a home in the almonds this very moment.

[BEES4U]

Take a close look at the photo of the almond tree that is blown over. Look at the poor graft union to the root stock. Over growth is not desired!
Look at the trees primary and seconday scaffolding. The tree is a cull by modern standards. There are almond orchards in the northern Sacramento area that should have been pulled a long time ago. I will try to learn how to post photos in the future.
I talked to a local Butte county beekeeeper and he said that those orchards will obviously require fewer hives for pollination.
Just to set the record straight, good beekeepers grade their bees and balance them before moving into the almonds or any other pollination I know some beekeepers that provide additional good colonies at no cost for public relations!
I checked some hives today and we are counting 10-12 frames of bees at 65 degrees F.

Ernie
(I will have early queens available.)

[loggermike]

Found this youtube news report of the almond damage.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jiWSY04dY00&feature=user
The weather has been very wet and cold in Northern Ca lately. We have been busy (between storms) grading and feeding, getting ready for the Big Event.The bees look good for the most part.

[loggermike]

and heres a neat little video someone put on youtube awhile back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVQuc1Udgc :cool:

[HarryVanderpool]

How much is the bloom set back, Mike?

[loggermike]

I admit I drove through the orchard areas so fast last week ,I didn't take notice of much other than the many blown over trees.A friend just talked to his grower who said bloom would be late but heavy because of the cold weather. Here at 3000' we are expecting more snow today.But you know how it is , the weather can warm up and change things (I hope it does).This global cooling is starting to get old.:rolleyes:

[JBJ]

Well are we long or short this year? Anybody not get there bees rented or come up severely short?

[Nick Noyes]

We rented the most bees we have ever rented and could have rented more. That was last week so maybe all the holes have been filled in by now.
I would say there are homes still available for BIG bees. They don't seem to be slowing down with the planting of almonds.
What is everyone else hearing and seeing?

[MadBowbee]

I'm rented out, there's a few calls going around looking for bees that beekeepers thought they would have but crapped out. Or growers looking to add someone else's bees to add to their weaker rented bees. But its not so good to place maybe a couple of hundred of your bees in an orchard of 1500 or 2000 with hives from multiple beeks from back east and south, especially if you don't have small hive beetle yet, etc. Oh, I saw a couple of Noyes trucks a couple of weeks ago off the 145 feeding bees...Sr. and Jr.

[Nick Noyes]

It was probably me and I should probably get back down there and hit them again. Our bees are fat and they love to eat.

[loggermike]

The weather is going to turn very favorable for the long delayed bloom.Lots of sunny days ahead-some in the 70s.Most of the trees Ive looked at are loaded with buds so likely a heavy bloom with lots of overlap and good pollination.Clear sailing from here on-life is good!;)