More bees coming in from Florida or elsewhere? Not really that short? Blue boxes with magic bees coming in from Canada?Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Jarrett
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More bees coming in from Florida or elsewhere? Not really that short? Blue boxes with magic bees coming in from Canada?Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Jarrett
Magic bees from Canada are on there way, since we can't legally import bees on comb they will be 4 lb packages ,air freighted
Bulk bees from Canada in Feb?? Man there really is global warming..
Does Canada allow Australian bees in?
This may be a rather naive comment, but how high does the price have to go before almond growers decide to replace some trees with thistle, rosemary, etc, etc and keep some hives around throughout the year.
Interesting quote from Randy O.
"In general, most beekeepers' bees look poorer than normal. Lots of junk
being delivered to the orchards. Some unscrupulous beekeepers splitting
hives into worthless queenless splits simply to make count for boxes with
bees flying out of the entrance.
Scuttlebutt is that bee supply will be short, with some growers getting
nasty surprises this week. This will cause hard feelings, since nut prices
are set to rise substantially, and growers want to set a better crop than
last season"
I'm not an almond grower or pollinator, but my guess would be that even with higher prices of hives there is still more money in trees in the ground than tearing them out to put year round bee forage. As long as there is a high demand for almonds, there will be more trees in the ground and more bees needed. I'm curious to see what happens next spring, will the shortage of bees turn into a surplus driving down the current prices?
I'd like to hear the thoughts of the commercial guys.
Seems to me (and I am an outsider looking in) listening to many of the beekeepers here on this forum, they are getting comfortably paid around the $165 per hive mark. I am also gathering these beekeepers are supplying hives in top notch shape. But Im also hearing alot of talk of $200 per hive plus from the speculative gossip.
Put the two together and yes, the fringes will be operating in that boom bust business environment, while the rest sit comfortable all the way through
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelShantz
If the price of Almonds stay where they are currently at the growers "should" be able to afford about $400-$420 per acre for pollination to give the bee guys the 7% + or - of the gross we have been averaging the last long while. $210 a hive is not proportionately out of the statistical norms.
It really has nothing to do with what the almond grower can afford, But, rather what the keeper is going to charge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Honey-4-All
It sounds to me like the law of supply and demand is working just fine in the almond pollination business. Somebody should tell Chicken Little.
Supply and demand is right. Next year the situation could reverse itself and an oversupply could result in strong hives sitting. But if the droughts continue and varroa keeps devastating hives, next year could repeat this one. Lots of variables. Take your best guess and plan accordingly.
LOL... outstanding post there, Mike. What we really have is a supply side issue. The demand (almonds) is set, we know how much wood is in the ground & going in the ground & we have four years before they need bees, so it's not like it's an unknow. What's the big unknow is the keepers ability to keep hives alive. Now I would rather go to Reno than bet on what the keeper is going to do.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by loggermike
Got a question here, do the small farmers with say 10 acres or so of almonds go in a co-op with other nearby small growers and hire a large beekeeper, or do you think they find their own bees? I would like to do small pollination jobs next year and I am wondering if it would be best to go through a broker or find another venue to find a small grower and grow a yearly relationship with them, and maybe if I go to sideliner status they would put word of mouth out?
The smaller grower plant next to the big grower so they don't have to rent hives.:rolleyes: Sorry bees really don't know which grower has paid for there usage.:scratch::digging:
Well I assumed that bees do what bees will do, but I also believe that for crop insurance they also have to have atleast two hives per acre, correct?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Honey Householder
With the price of nuts there are bees in trees that went in the ground 2 years ago. Not many but some. The growers are pushing the chems and training on the trees from the gitgo. Get them producing quickly helps recoup the big money spent throwing them in the ground in the first place. With commodity prices up, CRP acres way down, and fields planted to the edge with no wildflowers around for competition compiled with all the acres of almonds going in its not going to be long before our expenses get so high that the growers will scream to open up from Canada or even worse south of the Border. My guess is 5 more years and the rumbling will begin in earnest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Jarrett
Phil, just a short eleven months ago guys were searching for an open spot to put bees, many left to go back home with nothing in their pockets.
plant'em and they will come.
I like it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith Jarrett
>>>growers will scream to open up from Canada or even worse
easy now cowboy