Pollination prices

[Bens-Bees]

I wonder if we can get a thread going for the posting of the going or standard pollination rates for various crops.

[sqkcrk]

Sure, but it can very, by state, and contract.

My pollination price on apples in NY for 2010 will be $60.00 for orders less than 200 colonies and $55.00 for orders of 200 plus.

Cranberries $60.00/ colony.

That's about all I pollinate. Unless some of my bees go to CA.

[Skinner Apiaries]

Asking 55 for blueberries in NC. We'll see how everyone winters before that's in stone though.

[doc25]

What is the duration of polination? Approximately?

[sqkcrk]

What is the duration of polination? Approximately?

About three weeks. But it veries according to weather and the bloom.

[Skinner Apiaries]

Depends on plant and weather. You have a "be here" date and the pullout date is tentative. They usually hold for blueberries 4 to 6 weeks.

[jean-marc]

Mark:

Do you ever get any honey on the cranberry pollination? I do some here and usually nothing. It coincides with our main honeyflow, but too many hives around and not enough forage.

Jean-Marc

[Skinner Apiaries]

Ya'll notice the 'big' keepers are hush hush. I havent heard a word of almond prices here... heh

[alpha6]

About almond prices...that's because speculation runs the gamete on them and really are meaningless in the sense that most of us are already in contracts for a certain price. Those speculating on the prices are those that don't have contracts left and are almond growers who waited till the last minute to try and see if the prices would drop and now are running crazy trying to fill their needs. Contract prices run from $100 to ?? depending on frame strength and such.

If anyone needs to put their bees in Almonds I suggest Tom L. on this forum. He is a decent guy who will take care of your bees and you won't have to worry about getting paid.

[sqkcrk]

Mark:

Do you ever get any honey on the cranberry pollination? I do some here and usually nothing. It coincides with our main honeyflow, but too many hives around and not enough forage.

Jean-Marc

Not that i can tell is from the crans. There is plenty of forage around the beds. The hives usually stay there until time to move south. But not next year. It got too muddy when it was time to move them for going south.

[pahvantpiper]

Skinner, you want almond prices? My contract is $125.00 for 8 frames with a bonus for more frames and a deduction for less.

[Bens-Bees]

Ya'll notice the 'big' keepers are hush hush. I havent heard a word of almond prices here... heh

I noticed... I figure they're just scared of being undercut. I can understand that. I for one, have no interest in undercutting anyone. It's never been my goal to work just as hard but get paid less than anyone else. I'd rather charge a fair price that borders on being too high. If I miss out on a contract or ten, that's ok with me. I wouldn't want those contracts from growers that have too little respect for the services we provide to pay a fair price anyway. In my opinion, those are likely to be the same growers that would try to cheat you out of what little they did agree to pay you anyway. Who needs the hassle of dealing with that?

[Skinner Apiaries]

Neat piper. I am quite curious about almond pollination. It's apparently very complicated, pay scale included.

[TwT]

Skinner, you want almond prices? My contract is $125.00 for 8 frames with a bonus for more frames and a deduction for less.

I see Rob told his but I figure most will not say anything because of the competition and probably a wider pay range over there, you might be safer asking if any of them if they know what the average price for the contract holding beeks?

[Skinner Apiaries]

You do know averages need data to be accurate. If noone's talking then how can they find the average? Actually if I could gather, confidentially, accurate data, I could have a mean, and ask commercials what the "average" price is and do a chi square test to quantitatively tell you how far they're off, and if anyone even knows.
In short, I think it's just about not spouting off pollination prices, and I agree possibly competetion.
125 sounds Ok. Long time contracts, or brokers?

[sqkcrk]

USDA Ag Statistics probably has this info. If someone knows how to get it from them.

[Mike. T.]

I'll go ahead and spill my beans, I'm charging 120.00 a hive with 8-12 frame (average) to an almond grower who is also a good buddy, a fellow beekeeper i know is charging 130-140 depending on condition of hive's, last year i got 35.oo a hive for mellons and went in with spring splits averaging 5-8 frames could have gotten more money but had the parent hives in the mountains and didn't want to move them, the grower was late getting bee's but was happy with what he got

[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?

[Tom G. Laury]

Local beekeeper advertised in newspaper over the weekend. $120, probably pretty good bees, 5,000 colonies available. He got pushed around a lot last year, cut out by lowballs.

[alpha6]

Tom...you fill your contracts yet?