As I write this letter, all eyes have been on the weather. With two hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast already this year, my thoughts are with anyone in their path. I have heard from beekeepers in Louisiana and Texas who have been greatly impacted from these storms. Anyone who hasn’t experienced a weather event such as this might not realize it’s usually not the wind that does the most damage to the bees, but the water. Flooding of a beehive can do several things. The most obvious is the hive will drown or be washed away possibly to never be seen again. However, even a lesser degree of flooding can turn devastating. Commonly, a beehive will go partly under water and the cluster will survive initially only to be killed out later by small hive beetles.

This year was a mixed bag for Texas beekeepers starting out with almond pollination. Overall the price paid for rent was higher and the bees may have graded a little better than last year. Currently, I believe pollination prices will be strong in the 2009 season. Honey production in our state was up and down as usual with the overall crop a little better than last year. The good news is that retail demand for homegrown honey is stronger than ever and wholesale prices are up substantially.

One other thing of note—everyone is probably aware of the increasing demand for bees and queens. It is time to start planning for your 2009 season, so get your orders in as soon as possible.

I hope I will see all of you in Plano!

Ray Latner, Manager: Dadant & Sons Inc. – Paris, TX