Pollination prices

[kilocharlie]

Beeserious - 6 frames of brood with 8 frames of bees are good enough to pollinate very hard if they are increasing, especially if you add a pollen trap for 1-2 days before the anthesis time period (about 5 days for almonds) when pollen is accepted from stamen to the style and into the carpel (or however the individual flower works in other species - angiosperms vs gymnosperms - I have to read up on wikipedia and pollinator.com), as the bees will usually double up the pollen effort (say 40% of the colony after pollen as opposed to 20% before the the trap was placed). Exact splitting the right amount of time before the haul up to the almonds is still an art - they want a good feeding well before the trip, but NOT when they get there!

Thanks for mentioning that price! I'd enjoy getting that much for lots of small colonies if I can, but I would probably boost those 4-framers up a frame of brood and combine a shake of queenless nurse bees with them, too. Pollinator colonies need to be larger than that, or they won't do much for the orchard. If it were MY almond orchard AND my bees, I'd probably try to balance my splits with a minimum of 8 frames of brood and 10 frames of bees with honey box on top, comb already drawn but not filled, if I could.

I'd really like to hear from long-time pollinators if there are better arrangements than this, also to hear from almond growers and other crop scientists who really get into it! I'd love to know all the best procedures and offer the best pollination practices to the customers.

[savage_sultin]

$125 for blueberries and $60 for cranberry. Pumpkin, apple, Borage are $50 but borage is going to $75 soon

[Beeslave]

Does anyone know what the going rate is for apple and cranberry pollination in WI this year?

[Jed]

Does anyone know what the going rate is for apple and cranberry pollination in WI this year?

Id like to know what apple pollination rate in Wisconsin is too


Jed

[Beeslave]

I heard $50 for apples from a beekeeper who pollinates several orchards. He also heard of another that was only charging $45.

[jean-marc]

That is essentially the price I was hearing 20 years ago. Makes me wonder why bother at that rate?

Jean-Marc

[sqkcrk]

Id like to know what apple pollination rate in Wisconsin is too


Jed

What about what it should be? What do you think it should be? What price would make doing it worthwhile to you?

Orchards need bees to pollinate. Beekeepers should set the price. Too low? Walk away.

[hpm08161947]

Is there any build up in an apple orchard, or is more or less a "wash"?

If they were not in the apple orchard would they be out getting some honey flow? Yea... I guess they would. Guess a medium per hive in the SC may/june flow would add up...