[Absinthe]

It is no secret that a very large amount of bees are sent to almond orchards every year for almond pollination. Whether or not you agree with this, have moral reservations about it, or contribute to it is immaterial, it happens. But, what I am curious about is what happens next? When a beekeeper palatalizes a bunch of boxes and puts them on a truck and they show up in someone's orchard.. Who manages those colonies, and what does such management look like? Are they collecting the almost blossom honey? Are they supering the boxes, or doing something else so that they just have stronger build up without big storage instinct? Are there anti swarming techniques involved? Do those colonies every make it back across the country to a person's apiary? I have seen lots of people selling the heck out of our wood honey, but have yet to ever see "Almond Blossom" honey. One would think you could bathe in it.

 

[Farmercal]

I don't think that the owners of those bees care about honey. I am pretty sure that make their money from the pollination services and the bees go back to the home apiary after the trees have been pollinated.

 

[snl]

Almond honey is absolutely beautiful! Crystal clear but tastes terrible! Imagine drinking almond abstract, you get the idea. First time I tasted it, I spit it out and said never again!

 

[Absinthe]

hmmm, probably the high amygdalin (cyanide?) content

But if the bees are out pollinating they must be bringing back nectar and pollen to the hive. If the fill up the brood nest with nectar then they will be honey bound and swarm. Or if someone puts on supers for them to fill... then someone has to do that, and add more and so forth. Or am I missing something?

I am just wondering if any bees come back to the keeper, or if they just don't swarm out a bunch of times during the process, and get back whatever happens to decide to live in the box.

 

[RayMarler]

Almond bloom is mid February to mid March. That's early spring flow, and the hives use most of what they bring in to raise brood for early spring build-up. Not much extra left over, they come out of almonds full of bees and brood for the most part, with minimal stored honey. Yes, there is an occasional swarm, but usually not or not many. They go into almonds with a box of bees and a box to expand into. They come out 2 boxes of bees. If hives get placed early, and bloom is delayed from weather or other reasons, management might consist of putting feeders on the hives to help fill in for lack of flow.

 

[Absinthe]

Thanks Ray, that is much simpler than I expected. Just seems like one of those things you never hear about.

 

[username00101]

Almond honey is absolutely beautiful! Crystal clear but tastes terrible! Imagine drinking almond abstract, you get the idea. First time I tasted it, I spit it out and said never again!

Almonds are very high in oxalic acid.