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2002 Almond Crop
The May crop estimate is for a record 940 million lb almond crop
on a record 530,000 bearing acres (and a record per-acre yield).
We won't know the exact figures 'til much later. Almond prices
have remained stable in spite of the record crop, in good part
because ''the pipeline was empty" and because the almond
industry has done an excellent job of marketing. Almond growers
are generally happy with the current picture.
2003 Almond Season
We won't know how our price increase will affect our volume until
later this year. Also, we plan to drop 1 or more slow-pay (or
no-pay) growers. We are optimistic about maintaining or increasing
volume since some younger orchards under long-term contract will
use more bees next year.
None of our beekeepers cancelled
their agreement with us by the June 1 deadline. We appreciate
your confidence in us and will continue to make every effort
to ensure that confidence is deserved.
2003 Almond Pollination
Starts Now
Almond pollination
may be the last thing on your mind right now, but planning for
almonds is a year-round endeavor. Colony strength in February
is directly related to colony strength the previous fall. Start
thinking about how you will get high populations of young, fat
bees going into winter. Bears fatten up in the fall in order
to survive the winter. Bees need your help to put on winter fat.
Early Bloomers &
Global Warming
A recent study reports that 385 British species bloom 4-1/2 to
15 days earlier than 40 years ago. Add almonds
to that list.
Fall Feeding
The enclosed newsletter from Eric Mussen discusses problems
beekeepers incurred this year. Similar problems occur every
year - the late almond bloom and an extremely cold January
magnified the problem this year. Efforts must be expended in
order to enter winter with young, fat bees. Many beekeepers stimulate-feed
in January, but feeding old, skinny bees doesn't always cut it.
Consider a feed program in October.
In his June-July newsletter
of 1982, Eric published the following excerpt from Dr. Christine
Peng's feeding studies:
|
FEED TREATMENT vs
EXTRA BEES IN MAY |
| Treatment |
Feeding Period |
Lbs extra bees
in May |
| Control |
- |
None |
| Pollen
supplement* |
Oct. to Jan. |
6.5 |
| Pollen
supplement* |
Jan. to Apr. |
0.6 |
*1/3 lb every 2 weeks; 5% pollen,
37% Torutein (yeast) and 58% partially inverted (Type 50) sugar
syrup by weight. |
Extra bees in February weren't reported but were undoubtedly
higher with Oct.-Jan. feeding vs. Jan.-Apr. feeding.
So you say you don't want strong
colonies in January (because they consume too much honey); consider
that 6 extra lbs of bees in May will make far more honey than
that consumed in January-February. This was brought home (again)
this year during orange bloom: strong almond bees made 1 to 3
supers of honey; weak almond bees made none.
Norm Cary (559)562-0300, can
supply pollen patties for October (and January) feeding with
payment not due until March (we will deduct the cost from your
almond pollination check). Give Norm plenty of advance notice
if you want October patties. (Ask Norm about sample bottles for
tracheal-nosema tests).
Note: some
beekeepers have had good luck using pollen from Stephen Stakich
(248)642-7023; 1155 Vaughn Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. $1.75/lb.
in pellet form but makes good paste when mixed with syrup. Stephen
doesn't irradiate his pollen, but he says there have been no
problems with chalk brood (or AFB).
No Excuses
With our higher
2003 pollination prices, our (your) bees will be coming under
closer scrutiny. Growers will pay close attention to colony strength
in 2003. So will we. Current long-range forecasts are for a wet
Jan.-Feb., 2003 making colony strength more important than ever
for the almond grower.
There is no excuse for excessive
substandard colonies and you will (again) be docked accordingly.
Beekeepers that have been with us and have done a good job get
preferential treatment in terms of number of colonies placed.
If you don't think your colonies can withstand the increased
scrutiny planned for 2003, we are extending the deadline for
cancelling your current agreement until July 15. If you don't
cancel by then, we will notify you of the number of colonies
needed for 2003 by October 30, 2002.
The Book
The enclosed book
Honey - The Gourmet Medicine contains order forms
inside the back cover that you can pass on to interested parties.
In addition to the "Special offer", beekeepers who
order 10 or more copies (to one address) get them for $5.00 each
+ $10 (total) shipping. I have copies in Bakersfield; stop by
and save shipping costs. If you order from BookMasters,
let me know how the service and delivery was.
If you sell honey at farmer's
markets, etc., consider selling this book. If you want to be
a Distributor in your area, contact me for an even lower price.
A California guru (a robed,
bearded man living in the hills of Hollywood) recently intoned
that ''Placing The Book of Honey in health food stores,
in doctors' offices and in chiropractors' offices will result
in a demand for honey that beekeepers can only imagine."
Well, maybe. Or maybe not.
Virtually every ag commodity now promotes the health and nutritional
benefits of their product. Such promotion is not new; it was
done over 80 years ago for another California ag product with
mixed results. (see enclosed essay by William Saroyan).
Beekeeper Lament
Into each life,
A little rain must fall.
Why can't it fall into mine?
Anonymous, 1904
Bee Biz
The magazine Bee Biz is aimed at "professional
beekeepers" (as opposed to hobbyists). It is an excellent
publication containing reports from around the world that don't
always make it into American publications. Subscriptions are
$23 for the next 3 issues; $44 for the next 6. Send check to
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, 610 Bethany Church Rd., Moravian Falls,
NC 28654.
Take a Break in August
Take a break from extracting all that honey. Or, if you don't
have honey to extract, extract yourself from negative thoughts
and head for the Western Apicultural Society (WAS) meeting at
Lake Tahoe, August 12-15; program enclosed.
I'm staying at South Lake Tahoe (about 45 min. from the meeting
site) where there are numerous scenic hiking trails. If you're
interested in hiking before or after the meeting, give me a call
at (530)577-2330.
And The Winners Are .
. . . . .
The chimpanzee,
the chicken, the honey bee, the sea urchin, Tetrahymena
(a yeast-like protozoan) and a family of fungi.
These 6 "model organisms"
were recently selected by the National Institute of Health to
have their entire genetic code (genome) studied and spelled out.
This could lay the foundation for significant genetic improvements
in the honey bee. Some scientists are eagerly awaiting the unveiling
of the "language gene" in the honey bee (a "Waggle
Dance Celebration" is planned).
Post-It Note
"Beeswax is
a chemical sponge. Beekeepers in some areas of the country have
found that when the brood combs, especially, reach a certain
level of chemical load the queen simply will not lay eggs in
that comb or cell."
Jerry Hayes, June 2002,
ABJ, p.403
Stay in Touch
Let us know how
things are going, or call our toll-free number anytime for an
update on things out here.
Joe Traynor
SCIENTIFIC AG CO.
P.O. Box 2144
Bakersfield, CA 93303
Toll-free number: (877) 356-5846
Office Located at:
1734 D Street, Suite #2
Bakersfield, California
24 Hr. Phone (661) 327-2631
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