# Bloom routes (for lack of a better term)



## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

Well if you exclude Almonds (west coast), then one would start here in Blue Berries about early March hang around till Mid April and head to Maine for low bush blue berries. Some may stop in NJ for blue berries or MA for cran berries, but i do not know of any. After Maine BB they come home about early July to do Squash/ Water Melons/Cucumbers.

Now if you are asking about following a floral bloom, well that would be quite different.

I have left off the orchards... just because I do not know anyone doing that.... except for Mark B.


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## VolunteerK9 (Aug 19, 2011)

hpm08161947 said:


> Now if you are asking about following a floral bloom, well that would be quite different.


No, you gave me the info I was wanting. Thank you. Call me stupid, but when does the citrus bloom in Florida primarily run from/to?


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## Tim Stewart (Jul 19, 2009)

Citrus in Florida usually runs march 1 to April 15. Usually should not be used in that sentence, as there is very little usual about the orange. Jersey Blueberries tend to be April 15 to May 15, plus or minus a week. Maine usually starts a day before the petal drop in jersey, so its a tight move to do that, although its tight to get into New Jersey in the first place. After Maine you can still hit Massachusetts cranberries. There is more money in Maine than Jersey for blueberries, and also a higher demand. Pollination may be a hard thing to get into, as you have to do a little bit of pushing around the guys you are trying to learn from. 

Tim Stewart
Stewart's Apiaries


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## VolunteerK9 (Aug 19, 2011)

Tim Stewart said:


> Pollination may be a hard thing to get into, as you have to do a little bit of pushing around the guys you are trying to learn from.
> 
> Tim Stewart
> Stewart's Apiaries


Thanks, and that is one thing that I dont want to get into-stepping on toes of others that pollination has been their mainstay for years.

Are the east coast crops as heavily brokered as California Almonds or is it more of a farmer/keeper negotiated affair?


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

VolunteerK9 said:


> Thanks, and that is one thing that I dont want to get into-stepping on toes of others that pollination has been their mainstay for years.


One way to get started around here, is filling in for one of the large pollinators. Often there are just too much acreage and you might be asked to cover this farm or the next. If you have good bees... the farmer learns this and you are off on your own. Here in the MidEast the acreage seems to be growing faster than the bees, unfortunately the compensation isn't.

No brokering that I am aware of.


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## peacekeeperapiaries (Jun 23, 2009)

Orange blossom here in FL starts beginning of March thru mid april...but its a gamble anymore depending on if they meet their spray schedule before the start of the bloom...you dont want bees there when they spray...brazillian pepper blooms sept and october.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

K9, I don't know if you have come across it but "Bad Beekeeping" by Ron Miksha is an autobiographical account of a migratory beekeeper who ran some hives in Florida, did some pollination on the east coast and then migrated to Canada for the summer flows up there. This was before the border closed to that model of beekeeping. It's a good read.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> K9, I don't know if you have come across it but "Bad Beekeeping" by Ron Miksha


Probably my favorite Bee Book. Still can't figure out that Canadian Border thing. In the old days it seemed like a Win Win situation for both sides. Politics - I guess.


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