D Coates............
Jim134,
There's no surplus honey because commercial folks make more money in pollination.
Can you proven this ???
D Coates....
IMHO What you need to know is how many bee hives in the 50s were on honey production and how many were on pollination and how many were on making bee packages and you need to know these same numbers for 2013. I do know the USA used to have surplus honey WWII to 1985 or so 1985 to now no surplus honey.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Did you not see this ???
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Yes I did. That's why I said, I have no interest in heading down the honey, pollen, and package hives rabbit holes. That's a fools errand.
As for proving there's more money in pollination than honey? Okay, let's do the math again. You're currently making $125 to $150 per strong hive per almond contract. Then you move to various fruit trees where you'll make another $75 to $100 per hive. The you can head to the Blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, and black berries where you can make $50 to $75 per hive. Then head off for squash, pumpkins, peppers etc. for $25 to $50 per hive.
As a commercial beekeeper let's assume you hit 3 of the four and get the lowest rates. You've grossed $250 per hive. To make something similar via honey getting a very generous $3 per pound of honey you'd have to produce over 80 pounds of honey per hive. Drop it to 2.50$ and it's 100 pounds etc. Pick up a 4th pollination and or get a slightly higher pollination rate and you can quickly see how honey doesn't pay like pollination.
This is especially true when demand outstrips supply as was shown in the "news" report. A vacuum has been created by the supposed shortage of bees, pollination prices are going to go up, new beekeepers will enter the market to fill this vacuum, prices will go back down.