VIC/NSW Pollination Services Research

[djg]

Hi all,

I'm currently conducting research into the pollination services industry. I was hoping that I could gain insight from members here that are in/around the space.

I'm interested to understand what the price of hives (roughly) for pollination is. Particularly, how this price compares to say 12 months ago (pre-varroa) and what you think it might be 12 months ahead (presuming that orchards are locking in the hive supply early). Do the prices change depending on the orchard they need to pollinate (i.e. if the orchard earns a higher margin then the broker or beekeeper will try to extract additional pricing)?

What do you think is lacking within the ecosystem of beekeeper/bee broker/orchard owner?

Any insight into what you think the Victorian Government will do regarding the border enforcement on beehives would be interesting to hear about as well.

I downloaded a couple of government entity documents surrounding pollination services, as well as one specific to the almond industry. Any good resources you can share would be much appreciated.

I find it quite fascinating and crucial to a lot of factors in our daily lives.

Thanks and I look forward to discussing/learning more.

[Ben Framed]

Hi djg! We are happy to have you join the Beemaster 'family'. Welcome!
Though the answers to you questions are not directly answered on, the Topic: Varroa detected in Australia The topic does 'touch upon' pollination and rules since varroa in your country.

Your questions are good questions. "Oldbeavo" and his partner Karen are pollinating beekeepers from your country, Australia. I hope he will chime in with helpful answers to your questions as well as others from your country who may also provide answers you seek.

Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Djg,
Welcome to Beemaster.
I don?t know if this will help you down under but here are some things to consider.
The price here depends on how many hives are available in a given year. Prices go up when we have a bad winter for the bees. Without bees almond production drops to as low as 10% of full production.
A lot of orchard owners set up contracts well in advance so you might want to call orchards to see what they will need.
Last year the average price was about $200. Per hive. A friend of mine had a broker pay him $150 per hive here on the east coast for almonds in California. All he had to do was load them on the flat bed and then off load them. They put around 440 hives on each truck.
Most orchard owners now inspect hives and only pay for hives that have a minimum number of full brood frames, I think either 5 or 6 deep frames.
I recommend that you contact a broker for the best information for your area.
Here it is very difficult to get past the California agricultural inspections if you don?t understand/know all of the rules. I expect you may have similar problems with varroa verification.
Jim Altmiller