Pollination prices

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Originally Posted by Missoura

Mike T.,
Gene Brandi has been saying he has been seeing problems in melons treated with neonicotinoids.
What have you seen or heard?
I was told a few years ago if stopped at the bug stations for Small hive beetle you could enter Madera county if you agreed to treat for beetles. True?
Is Kermin in Madera county?

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I have not heard about the neonicotinoids, last year was the first time heading to the melons, although me bee's did get sprayed but it wasn't the melon grower, I'm positive that it came from a cotton grower two miles east of the melons, I never got a phone call and my bee's where registard, fresno county ag comissioner said that if it was over1.5 miles the grower didn't have to notify me:scratch:, I checked the distances as the crow flies it was exactly 2 miles. I asked if they would change their policy to two miles but the response was not to my favor luckily i recouped and as of last monday my bee's are still looking good:cool: after the orange bloom i typicaly run to the mountains to make mountain honey. as to the hive beetles that would be a good question for the ag comissioners office, (559)-675-7876 is their number. Kerman is just inside fresno county about 30 mins sw of me.

Tom, hello from just north of you, just out of curosity do you happen to know who this beekeeper is? I wounder if it's beekman?

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Originally Posted by Mike. T.

Tom, hello from just north of you, just out of curosity do you happen to know who this beekeeper is? I wounder if it's beekman?

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No it isn't. :)

Skinner: $125 may sound OK, but if you're coming from NC, trucking eats $40 or so, straight off the top. Theb hotels, meals, airline tickets?, Will you bring your own truck and forklift to place your bees in the orchards? These are other costs that can easily add another $20 per hive. On a side note what does it cost to place bees in and out of the marshalling yards and then get them to the almonds? Then you have the risk factors. To me it seems way simpler to go a little further south and sell nucs. This kind of situation you can control way better than sending your bees 5000 miles away. The risk factor is especially true when starting out. Can you afford to lose 100 hives if you only have 100? That could kill your will to work, demoralize you, start a fire in your belly and send you out on a rampage etc...

When I send bees very far away I try to minimize risks and at some point I ask myself can I afford to loose these bees? My willingness to send them off increases as I get closer to answering yes to a potential loss of bees. I also ask, do I think I will loose bees to theft, vandalism, ignorance? If no then off they go.

Jean-Marc

PS- Anything with beekeeping and easy does not match.

Matt, i was actualy refering to bryan beekman, are you to related? I used to work for bryan for awhile? nice guy, very nice equipment and man nice HOTRODS:cool:

Yep. Bryan is my cousin and he didn't put that ad in either. $120 per hive is leaving too much money on the table. :no:

Well, the ad went back in this morning. These guys have a lot of colonies available at that price. Not brokered out, either, California bees.

Is this the add or is there anotherone
http://www.modbee.com/classified-ads...%26+Equipment/
:s RDY-B

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Originally Posted by jean-marc

Skinner: $125 may sound OK, but if you're coming from NC, trucking eats $40 or so, straight off the top.
Jean-Marc

PS- Anything with beekeeping and easy does not match.

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No, jean-marc, it's more like $9.00 per hive for transportation. I'm not sending any because I don't have enuf good ones to make it worth while, but the guy that does send them from SC says that he clears $90.00 per colony. And he doesn't go to CA himself. He puts them on a truck and waves good by.

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Originally Posted by sqkcrk

No, jean-marc, it's more like $9.00 per hive for transportation. I'm not sending any because I don't have enuf good ones to make it worth while, but the guy that does send them from SC says that he clears $90.00 per colony. And he doesn't go to CA himself. He puts them on a truck and waves good by.

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$9.00 per hive! Wow that is cheap! What is the name of your trucker? :lpf:

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Originally Posted by Matt Beekman

What is the name of your trucker?

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I wanna know too. We pay approx $10 each way for each colony and we pay less than a lot of beeks we know.
Sheri

I must have heard him incorrectly, or the grower is paying alot more than others.

If there are 544 story and a halfs (halves?) on a load and you get $125.00 per colony that comes to $68,000.00 per semi in income. Minus $20.00 per colony for handling in CA, which drops it by $10,880.00, down to $47,120.00. Minus $14,000.00 round trip for trucking ($27.?? each) which brings it down to $33,120.00, which is clearing $60.88 per colony.

So, I don't know where I got the $9.00 idea from. Must have misunderstood someone.

Did I do my math correctly?

Mark, $9, Perhaps he was talking one way and it's his brother in law doing the hauling.:D
We pay just under $5000 one way. We put between 480-512 on the truck so the cost varies but I round to $10 each way. We pay on average $20 per hive round trip. $27 from Carilinas sounds about right.
But I think your math is off. Just take per colony. $125 - $20 handling = $105 - $27 = $78.
There are usually more expenses. He probably gives them a little more TLC either before shipping or after getting to CA, pollen sub and such.
If the losses he takes out there are similar to what he would expect in the home state, that is a wash. If they are more that needs to be added to the equation.
Sheri

Well, whatever it is, sending 40 hives isn't worth the trouble. I'll have to work harder next yr.

Also Mark, if your getting 544 a load, make sure someone out here keeps a eye on there weight.

Well, I'm won't, but someone will.

Well, I'm won't, but someone will.

Yep, and it will probably be a local provider of Pollen Supplement within proximity of the Great California Almond Producing Belt! :D

Ernie

Well, whatever it is, sending 40 hives isn't worth the trouble.

You might be able to fill in the last pallets of a load so that you and the other,s, loading the semi can benefit!
Think positive.
Ernie

I been reading this post and have got to wondering what is the total cost per hive on average going to the almonds, hauling to and from, feeding and pollen sub.? after all that is it really worth traveling to almonds when the price is $100 a hive, what is the base line price to make it good per hive(worth the time)?

How much are the broker fees? Unloading and loading at CA?