# Canola



## irwin harlton (Jan 7, 2005)

yes it goes like concrete in the frames, sometimes the bees can consume it when its been sitting on the hive in 90 degree weather,alot times I see them eat only certain sugars and the rest falls on the bottom board as crud or is hauled out.A steady build up in honey supers of granulated canola can blow alot of frames in the extractor.
Its lovely white honey with a mild flavour and makes excellent creamed honey,especially if its got alitttle alfalfa ,clover or even sunflower mix


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## irwin harlton (Jan 7, 2005)

Yesterday walked out into a field of canola in bloom, about 30 % had gone to seed, could not see a bee or hear one, this was at 4 pm , maybe they worked it in the morning with a 26 kilometer/hour wind blowing, but I doubt it.Canola was planted into sandy soil and will set set seed faster than good soil, especially with heat and dryness


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I've had some in the brood chambers and the bees wintered on it. I think it's fine here. Temperatures don't stay below freezing too long. 2 weeks at most. We also get a lot of moisture in the winter unlike Irwin. anyways I think it's OK for bees in this part of the world. I think it would be fine in California but I don't know for sure. First load of bees coming back from Southern Alberta canola pollination this weekend.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>Canola was planted into sandy soil and will set set seed faster than good soil, especially with heat and dryness 


Its producing here, 
you guys are drier though


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## simplyhoney (Sep 14, 2004)

Where does the canola seed come from up in Canda? There is vurtually no Canola seed in the Western half of the U.S. that Monsonto doesn't own. Is the seed that you are pollenating Round up Ready? If so,Have you seen any effects on the bees? How much are you getting for pollenation?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

We have seed farms across the prairies, mainly in Alberta.

>>There is vurtually no Canola seed in the Western half of the U.S. that Monsonto doesn't own

Thats not true, they do claim to alot of the seed sales in the world, but not all sales. The Roundup Ready seed program is very popular.
Look through your local dealer seed list, and you will find thier seed right next to the rest, even the old varieties.

>>Is the seed that you are pollenating Round up Ready? If so,Have you seen any effects on the bees? How much are you getting for pollenation? 

I am not in the pollination busiess, just collecting honey,
We grow mostly RR Canola, and some of my neighbours,
no effects on the bees, other than 4-5 boxes of honey 

I do believe in alberta, where they buy pollination for thier seed crops, its around the 50$/hve range,

Hope this helps,


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

In fact Ian it's 2-3 times that amount. Bees collect a box or 2 of honey as well.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Wow, if they are getting 100$ plus to pollinate canola, that pretty much makes the whole deal sweet.
At 50$ I couldnt figure how they made any money at it, other than that box or two of honey.
I know a guy who did it a bit around here for a while, and he quit. No money in it at that time, hard on the bees and alot of work. Moving bees throughout the canola field and or plots, sometimes two to three times in a month, and hive concentrations making it tough to pull any honey.
But 100$/hive makes that work a little easier,


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Ian: 

In fact it's closer to the $150 but it depends on strength. At $100 those beekeepers would be broke or the quality of the hives would be poor. I'm sure you would not give up a honey crop for $100 especially this year with good honey prices.

I know some of those guys and I've got bees there now but not 10 years experience there. I think the 10 000 hive guys get 35 pouinds of honey average. I think the guys with 2000 hives get more, maybe 50-60 average. I'm talking 10 year averages. I've had as much as 90 and as little as 10. 50 being average. Mine are coming tonite and hopefully I've got 50 pounds or more. We'll see. The way I see things if hives don't generate at least $200/season better stay in bed. $250/season and it's almost ok. $300/hive and beekeeping starting to get interesting.

Remember one thing Ian moving bees requires good equipment and organisation. If guys are moving at night and go to bed at 1-2 morning it's pretty hard to bounce out of bed in the morning. So you need extra help to keep things going in the day time. Hivfe concentrations can be very high anhd consequently winter mortality can be higher. Replacement costs for bees in Canada is higher than in the USA. New Zealand packages are $125 for 2,2 pounds / 1 queen delivered to your door. Nucs are about 110-125 and you gotta go fetch them. So what I'm trying to say is it's not all peaches and cream.

Jean-Marc


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Alberta's mind set and Manitoba's mind set in agriculture is alot different. A canola farmer in Alberta will pay those prices to get hives to polinate their crops. In Manitoba most farmers would think that price is way to high. You just have to look at the land prices, tax bases, and rental per acre between the two provinces to see the difference. Even the price of rental on pastures, there seems to be a big gap between the two provinces. In our area, a quarter of land cleared, in a somewhat decent stand of alfalfa will go for $40, 000.000 give or take a few thousand. In Ian's area, two hours away the price is slightly higher and in Alberta, what 4x that if not more.
We polinate a guys trefoil. We get the honey and he gets the seed. We paid for the fence, he took his tractor in and cleared a spot. He decreased his leaf cutters on the field from 30 or so huts to 5 huts. That seems to be the thing in this area for honey bees. We have some hives on a guys property, the next guy planted canola right next to the hives. Can't say he is not benifiting from it, but there is no price there.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Canola farmers don't pay that price. Seed companies pay that price. These are the folks that grow Roundup Ready varieties to sell to farmers. Seed companies also rent the services from a farmer to plant the male side and the female side of their seed lines, and to irrigate and harvest the seed. Farmers get good compensation for their efforts and probably some bonuses based on production.

In conclusion we are not comparing apples to apples here.

Jean-Marc


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>$150 but it depends on strength

now your talking!


>>I think the 10 000 hive guys get 35 pouinds of honey average. I think the guys with 2000 hives get more, maybe 50-60 average. I'm talking 10 year averages. I've had as much as 90 and as little as 10. 50 being average

Ya, thats what I was told from this guy here. He actually mentioned with these hives, moving filling hives was somtimes a pain, . Having sometimes to run a pull to enable them to move. 
Now, thats not a bad thing, but what he was getting at was the extra work and planning involved with this kind of management .


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>Alberta's mind set and Manitoba's mind set in agriculture is alot different. 

Yes, alot different. Spending habbits are different , land management is different, and farming practices are different. Cant compaire our two provinces at all in the way we farm. 
Basically compairing dryland farming to lake bottom farming. Basic principles are the same, but our farm management practices differ


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