BOMMER'S BEES: Beekeepers ready hives to pollinate almonds
This is a busy time of the year for the commercial beekeepers. The majority of the commercial beekeepers are involved in the pollination of the almonds and are busy with their preparations. Some of the bees that will be going to California have been shipped to Florida to work pepper bush. This is used to build up the bees. The reason for this is that pollination pay on almonds is that each truckload of bees will be inspected and they will be paid on the strength of the hives.
In order to receive the maximum pay, the bees will need to be to the point of overcrowding. We have covered this in previous writing, but over 80 percent of the world’s almonds are produced in one valley in California. The bees recognize that it is winter and that they are being asked to pollinate regardless. This consists of a giant parade of over 3,600 semi-trailers to get all the bees in proper position thus this is not a small task to accomplish.
There is still time for gifts for your beekeeper. A trip to your local bee supplier in Williston could provide you with a lot of information on books that beekeepers use regularly. Another suggestion might be a registration to one of our state meetings. After the first of the year the new bee catalogs and pricing will come out. There will also still be time to register for beginning beekeeping classes with your local bee club.
Experienced beekeepers should have their plans laid out for the upcoming year. If they plan to expand, they will need to determine the amount of additional beekeeping equipment that will be needed. If there are new honey sets, permissions will need to be obtained.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and look forward to future writings next year.
댓글
댓글 쓰기