Pollination Contracting Inc

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710,000 Bearing Almond Acres Estimated for 2009. 2008 almond acreage was estimated at 680,000 bearing acres. Bee Surplus A couple of factors have affected the suplus of bees for 2009 almond pollination. The declining price for almonds has forced most almond growers to re-evaluate the number of hives they are using per acre. Cutbacks range from 10% o 50% from the hives they used last year. Many beekeepers raised their prices this year $5.00 to $10.00 which may have contributed to almond growers cutting back on hives. The market for almonds has softend quite a bit making it harder to sell their product. The shortage of water in California have many almond growers saying "NO" to bees. This is an on-going problem causing almond growers to cancel bee contracts and leaving beekeepers with a surplus they thought they had rented. Because of the Supply and Demand Rule, many beekeeper are lowering their pollination fees in order to stay in business. Almond growers with signed contracts are being contacted by other beekeepers offering them lower prices. We have several weeks before bloom and many beekeepers have yet to arrive in California to grade their bees. If CCD raises it's ugly head again, the surplus may dwindle. Only time will tell. California State Agriculture Dept. Ant-Free Certification Protocol For 2009 season, you must complete Official Certification form with required information (9 items) Provide bee shipper with original certificate and one copy. Ca. border station retains original, copy stays with bee shipment. Forms available at: www.cdfa.ca.gov Beekeeping News The California Bee Convention, November, 2008 Work by the Tuscon and Weslaco Bee Labs have clearly demonstrated the value of feeding pollen supplement to boost protein levels in colonies. Various products or "home brew" formulas will do the job, although a USDA trial gave good marks to MegaBee, developed at the Tucson lab. The most important findings from Dr. Frank Eischen's work is that the earlier you start feeding, the stronger the colonies will be come almond bloom next season, that a far greater percentage of well-fed colonies make "grade," and that well-fed colonies better resist varroa and nosema. Does Protein Matter: YES, YES, YES. The more protein, the more longevity of the bees. Being able to prolong bee life 4 to 5 days makes a larger, healthy colony. Colonies grow at a greater rate w/protein. Even if you have mites, feeding protein can help the hive. Some tests showed feeding protein reduced strength dwindling, improved brood size and increased frame count. If bloom is going to be late 2 weeks, it is important to feed your bees. Nosema Ceranae Nosema ceranae is perhaps turning out to not be the disaster that it was made out to be. It's been in the U.S. since at least 1985 and generally doesn't appear to cause major problems, here or elsewhere in the world. However, if bees suffer from poor nutrition, N. ceranae can take colonies down. It also appears to cause problems during summer in some operations for unknown reason. Work by Dr.

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