# Any word on when bees could be released from almonds this year!



## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

I was just told next week. Around Fresno area.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

End of this week in Colusa and yolo.


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## High-On-Burlap (May 6, 2013)

Some growers near us released last Friday already


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Yep, this year everything blossoms early including the almonds by at least 1 month than
last year. The plums are blooming right now too.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

beepro said:


> Yep, this year everything blossoms early including the almonds by at least 1 month than
> last year. [/QUOTE
> Not so much as a early bloom this year in the almonds but a short one.


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

I've already pulled my bees out in the Manteca area.

Well kind of but not really. I put 24 hives into two different orchards. I trusted the guy with a hand shake so I didn't bother with a contract. One orchard got 6 pallets and the other got 4. The guy calls me the next day and says the 6 aren't flying as hard as the other 4 (same bees) and he says to pull them so I do. I call him back a couple different times looking for money and he blows me off. After the 10th day I get ticked off and I go to talk to a farmer friend who tells me I'm going to get ripped off. So with that I make the decision to pull the other 4 pallets out. To this day I haven't gotten a phone call or a text asking about the bees. Not even a "hay your bees are gone".


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

How many frames of bees did you have in your hives?


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

Those particular hives were a solid 6-8 frames of bees in each hive. I ended up taking them to a grower off of Keyes rd and he's been real happy. What I can't figure out is if they worn't good hives then why did the bees boil out of them when I picked them up. It really ticked me off because the forks on the lift ended smashing handfuls of bees.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

Keith Jarrett said:


> beepro said:
> 
> 
> > Yep, this year everything blossoms early including the almonds by at least 1 month than
> ...


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

Maybe off topic but I heard on the radio today that a place called daffodil hill is opening up 3 weeks earlier than the ever have in the past.


OK I may have exaggerated a little bit. Here's an article I found from online. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/eat-drink-play/2015/02/24/daffodil-hill-opens-early-season/


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

beesohappy said:


> Those particular hives were a solid 6-8 frames of bees in each hive. I ended up taking them to a grower off of Keyes rd and he's been real happy. What I can't figure out is if they worn't good hives then why did the bees boil out of them when I picked them up. It really ticked me off because the forks on the lift ended smashing handfuls of bees.


I've never seen a 6-8 frame Hive boil out to where the forks were smashing Handfuls of bees. Hives with beards in 2 boxes are usually 20+ frames and ready to swarm.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Sounds like a 1 in 20 to 30 kind of year. Every once in awhile you get to reap that reward because you are a participant. Right on for you guys. Sell lots of packages with those bees. Go for it.

Jean-Marc


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

RAK said:


> I've never seen a 6-8 frame Hive boil out to where the forks were smashing Handfuls of bees. Hives with beards in 2 boxes are usually 20+ frames and ready to swarm.


These are 10 frame deeps with shallows under them. I checked today expecting to find queen cells and was surprised to not see any. Tons of capped drones thou.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

beesohappy said:


> These are 10 frame deeps with shallows under them. I checked today expecting to find queen cells and was surprised to not see any. Tons of capped drones thou.


 Fat drones raised on almond pollen makes for well mated queens later.And they feed a nice crop of varroa too.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

loggermike said:


> And they feed a nice crop of varroa too.


lol..... so true.


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

Beesohappy, I would expect that you would circulate the name of that particular farm owner so that next year another beekeeper is not taken for a ride.
Johno


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

jean-marc said:


> Sounds like a 1 in 20 to 30 kind of year. Every once in awhile you get to reap that reward because you are a participant. Right on for you guys. Sell lots of packages with those bees. Go for it.
> 
> Jean-Marc


JM, I must be in the minority here, but I have not seen anything special out of the almonds this year. There coming along like I've seen in the past, just a normal year here.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Yes but its too darn early!(in the far north, anyways)

http://bluediamondgrowers.com/february-24-2015-3/


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## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

johno said:


> Beesohappy, I would expect that you would circulate the name of that particular farm owner so that next year another beekeeper is not taken for a ride.
> Johno


His first name is Mike and the orchard area is right next to 13888 S. Austin Rd. Manteca


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

beesohappy said:


> His first name is Mike and the orchard area is right next to 13888 S. Austin Rd. Manteca


If you google in this address you will see why your bees were not wanted. Looks like they already have some in house.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Ours are released- Chico area.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

I got released Saturday!


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Round em up, move em out Yeehaw!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQInexEClmM


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

Great video!


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

We Canadians cannot see the video Mike.

Jean-Marc


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Wonder why that is? Oh well its just a clip of how not to do it.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Oh, OK, a little spillage? Fortunately by now, we have worked out many of the how not to do it.

Jean-Marc


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

loggermike said:


> Round em up, move em out Yeehaw!!
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQInexEClmM


Stupid is as stupid does!!!!!!!!!!! Only a guy with no brains would load garbage like that in the heat of the day....


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Do you ever wake up on the bright side of the bed?!


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

I thought the whole thing must have been staged, because like Phil said no one with brains would do it that way.

We pulled into one of those random roadside truck inspections today with 160 hives . Seems they didnt want me to stay judging by the get outa here gestures from the CHP.They were netted but there are always a few that get out


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Barry said:


> Do you ever wake up on the bright side of the bed?!


Probably why my wife makes me sleep on the floor..... The dog asks the same question on the nights when I consider him a pillow. Its all cool though as I never did like red heads anyways.:shhhh: ( Sorry Perky) 

If I did get to pass on a "roadside inspection " like logger I might be happy for a day or two. Possibly!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

To be honest they are the reason every truck driver needs to keep a hive or two in the glovebox. Anyone outside of California has no idea how handy a load of bees can become until one escapes the clutches of an over zealous inspector when he is having a bad day!!!!!

As one beekeeper once told me after getting a write up....... They'd write you a ticket for a broken wiper blade in the middle of the Sahara just to prove they could..


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Honey-4-All said:


> . Anyone outside of California has no idea how handy a load of bees can become :


Hey Phil, I ever tell you ole story when we shut down the Truckee scales coming into Cali for three days.   

P.S We take hwy 88 now. lol


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Are you exempt from roadside inspections with map21?


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Map21? Thats a good question.


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## babybee (Mar 23, 2012)

We finally got our first bees back!!! Of course right after a 4 inch rain here...


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

babybee said:


> right after a 4 inch rain here...


Lucky dog.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Rain,that's the wet stuff that used to fall from the sky here......
The dust boiling up from behind the trucks here is almost unbearable. Another drought year.


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## high rate of speed (Jan 4, 2008)

There was a slight mist today in central California. Mountains sure drying up.fast as well.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

I have to say one thing I am great full for this year was my farmer didn't have to use a fungicide while bees were in and I have absolutely zero chalkbrood!!! I have to say the bees look very good and I am working hard on splits and will get to 40-50 hives by winter. Cells just went into 5 frame nucs yesterday due to emerge today. Hope all goes well there. All my queens are on their second year and absolute laying machines!! I also broke open some drone brood yesterday and didn't see any mites, not that there arnt any in the hive, but very low counts I imagine. My plan is to replace all second year queens in August with cells and keep the older queens in singles to cover losses over winter. Im actually starting to get the hang of this beekeeping thing..........knock on wood.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

What is the purpose of keeping all the older queens when
you can make some in August to requeen them all? I thought
an overwintered after the solstice queen is the best one for laying come
the next Spring time. Isn't it that the older queens have a high failure rate than the
younger queens?


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Why keep them?? Because i can put them in some 5 frame nucs and have them as back up incase something happens to the new queens. I can also pull brood frames from them and combine weak ones to make full hives. I was going to do this last year but ran out of time and boy i could have used them as i had late summer queens that didnt mate properly and ended up as drone layers. Never hurts to have a back up plan in life.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Yes, only when you have the time and resource to do so.
I see your point now. Good job.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Heard of some massive losses of brood due to growers using a new insecticide... "intrepid". Anybody else hear of these horror stories?

Jean-Marc


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

I hear that every year, and every year I have a hard time staying in front of the bees before they swarm.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Didn't see any of that either .Doesn't mean it didn't happen to someone else but I have the same problem as Keith right now. The bees came out of the almonds in fine shape,though maybe with too much feed.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Generally pleased with the look of our bees. Haven't seen any of the presumed fungicide issues we have experienced in the past. Seems to be a lot of variation in weight, though.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Like Mike stated, it could happen in parts of the state, and is very possible that some have experienced a bad spray here or there, but by far most keepers are smiling right now. Mine did not put on weight like in the north valley, but that's just the luck of the draw. I'm more than pleased with the way they looked, and the rent check wasn't bad either.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

Keith Jarrett said:


> but by far most keepers are smiling right now.


that's great news keith, hopefully our pollinator task force is paying attention.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Isn't Intrepid an IGR? http://fruitgrowersnews.com/index.p...l-Codling-Moth-Without-Organophosphate-Sprays

I heard this happened in the Arbuckle just north of me.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

I'd like to think that most of the growers got the word about tank mixes with IGR's during bloom and didn't do that this year.But you never know.


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## RDY-B (May 20, 2007)

**I'm more than pleased with the way they looked, and the rent check wasn't bad either. **

STRAIGHT UP **** good year-RDY-B


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

10 4 on the rent money. Now on to the next thing... Lots of big healthy hives, lots of fat drones and warm weather so far. Early queens should be great from CA this year.


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## red (Jan 15, 2013)

My bees where just north of Arbuckle and i'm seeing bad signs in my brood and queens. I know they got hit a day or two after I put them in the orchard but now i'm wondering if they got sprayed again right at the end.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

squarepeg said:


> hopefully our pollinator task force is paying attention.


Who would that bee SP?


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

sorry for poking my nose into the commercial section. it's the multi-agency task force that our government is establishing to evaluate the state of affairs with honeybees and other pollinators. i don't know a whole lot about it. i get the impression that it is our country's way of figuring out what impact or not environmental factors (pesticides) are having on these insects. i assume the findings of the task force will influence policy decisions, regulations, ect. your report that most operations were doing well at this point sounded encouraging to me.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

squarepeg said:


> sorry for poking my nose into the commercial section. .


SP, your thoughts are always welcome, I get a kick out of different view points, whether I agree with them or not. Many times my wife walks by when I'm at the computer and I'm laughing my butt off.... she just says .... you on Beesource again....


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

Keith Jarrett said:


> she just says .... you on Beesource again....


yeah, i get that too.


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## high rate of speed (Jan 4, 2008)

Large frame of audience. And friends.


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## Seven Hills (Apr 7, 2011)

Would like to hear more about the problems in Arbuckle area. Put bees in and they went down a lot right after placing them. Came out worse than I expected also. After all the talk of how great everyone's bees were in the orchards I went up with extra boxes but they were not needed. Now that they are out they are really picking up but I had a lot of light boxes when they got back.


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