Boy, what I have in mind is somewhat different than what you had in mind....
Oh well, chauk it up to this type of communication :)
I was thinking on a small scale, like renting out 5 to 10 hives. Are there beekeepers who do that sort of thing? Can one build up the hives by going south 300 miles for 3 weeks?
And how do you go about finding those who have small orchards? Do you just go up to the owner of the field of, say 5 acres, and ask if he would like to rent some bees? Do you put an ad in a local newspaper? What else can you do to get some rental moneys?
And you are correct, timing is everything. :D