2016-09-08 12:03:50
UNITED STATES
Honey crops will be up in the Midwest, according to many of our reporters this season. The big honey-producing states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota (which account for over 30% of our total U.S. honey crop) had rain and warm weather at the right times, so many beekeepers felt their crops would be near normal or better than normal. Honey crops in Florida will probably be up from last year’s poor yields, but will still not be normal. In addition, honey crops in California will still be down, but beekeepers are hoping to exceed last year’s extremely poor yield of only 8 million pounds. Montana will likely produce another honey crop of over 10 million pounds and Texas beekeepers will produce over 8 million pounds again. These seven top honey-producing states normally account for over half the honey produced each year in the U.S.
Unfortunately, wholesale honey prices and demand among larger honey packers continue to be down from last year. Buyers cite the stronger U.S. dollar and cheaper imported honey as the main reasons for the decline. On the other hand, small-lot wholesale buying and retail sales continue to be normal to strong around the country. Some beekeepers are switching to more honey packing to combat lower large-lot wholesale prices, but this does take more time and money to make the switch.
Early indications are that demand for colonies for California almond pollination will again be strong, despite a decline in world almond prices.
NORTHEAST—As this was written, many beekeepers had removed and extracted their honey crops for the season. In addition, they were treating for varroa mites before colder weather began. On the other hand, other beekeepers were placing their bets for a nice goldenrod, aster, knot-weed or knapweed flow this late summer and early fall and then treating for mites later. This is always risky, but for some the rewards of these sometimes excellent late flows are worth it. Central New York beekeepers said that drought lowered some of their normal spring and early summer honey crops from traditional sources like clover, basswood, wildflowers and buckwheat. Late summer flow prospects were in question if rains did not come to the rescue to stimulate late wildflower bloom.
August weather was often hot and humid, interspersed with occasional showers. Bees did not have many remaining nectar sources, so were often seen bearded on the fronts of hives just trying to keep cool. Earlier in the season, some beekeepers made excellent spring honey crops from wildflowers, black locust, berries and clover. This honey is selling quickly at farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals. Very little honey is bulk marketed, but some small lots of several barrels or buckets are often sold to small packers, bakers, etc. Beekeepers selling small lots like this have not noticed the declines in wholesale pricing that we have seen in other parts of the country for large-lot sales.
MIDEAST—August continued to be hot and humid with scattered showers. Some locations remained on the dry side, while beekeepers in other locations complained of too much rain. Earlier spring honey flows were fair to good. Bees continued to work scattered clover, alfalfa, sumac, basswood and sourwood flows in the mountains, but they were quickly drawing to a close. Meanwhile, late summer and fall flowers including goldenrod, smartweed, Spanish needles, aster, knotweed, loosestrife and milkweed were providing honey for winter stores and in some cases an extra super of honey where beekeepers had placed their bees near large non-farmed fields or along riverbeds. Beekeepers were hoping that tropical storms or hurricanes would not be a problem for their areas this fall.
Beekeepers have been busy treating for varroa mites, as well as being on the lookout for small hive beetle infestations. This year’s honey is being bottled and seems to be selling as quickly as it is available. Local honey is quite popular in this area, and very little of it usually gets sold out of the area. Prices remain good since few producers in this area sell large bulk amounts of honey that would be competing with cheaper foreign honey.
SOUTHEAST—Beekeepers were cautiously optimistic about remaining flows for the season from cotton and fall wildflowers in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. In Florida, beekeepers were hoping for a good Brazilian pepper crop, but locations were getting crowded. In addition, goldenrod, Partridge pea, asters, and other fall flowers may provide additional stores for winter. Unfortunately, in a number of locations reporters told us that once the spring and early summer flows quit, they were forced to start feeding many of their outyards. Beekeepers not pursuing subsequent surplus honey flows were treating for varroa mites before their mite populations became too high. Small hive beetles also remain an ever present threat in this area. One wild card is the tropical storm and hurricane season since these major weather events can have dire consequences for both people and their property in the Southeast. Specifically, rains and stormy weather can hurt remaining honey flows or, on the other hand, can sometimes help them, depending on when they come and their severity. For example, as this report was written, tropical storm Hermine was bearing down on Florida and points north.
Honey crops in most southeastern states ranged from 75 to 120% of last season, depending on the weather and colony strength. Beekeepers have been busy bottling and selling their crops in local markets. Business has been brisk for local and varietal honeys at the retail level. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for wholesale bulk offerings of new crop honey which has been encountering increasing competition from cheaper foreign honey. This has often driven down offering prices and demand for bulk honey purchases.
SOUTHWEST—As in the Southeast, a number of beekeepers obtained fair to good honey crops earlier this spring and summer before July and August’s hot, dry conditions began. Wildflowers, clover, alfalfa, shrubs, and Chinese tallow were mentioned as producing honey crops for beekeepers. Cotton was still producing nectar in the limited locations where this crop is grown. Some beekeepers were still hoping for additional winter stores from wildflowers such as goldenrod, aster and Spanish needles. As in the Southeast, the Gulf Coast could receive additional rains from the tropical storm and hurricane season. Beekeepers had begun their annual varroa mite treatments in many cases. Small hive beetles also continue to be a growing problem in the Southwestern states. Beekeepers are combating them by keeping colonies queenright, crowded and in direct sunlight, as well as using several different in-hive beetle traps now on the market.
Despite reduced offering prices on bulk honey purchases, local honey sales continue to be brisk for new crop honey.
EAST CENTRAL—Honey crops have been fair to good over much of this area. Crop estimates from our reporters are ranging from 80 to 100% of normal. Illinois, Indiana and Ohio had good spring and early summer flows from clovers, alfalfa, basswood, and assorted wildflowers before hotter summer temperatures set-in during July and August. Unfortunately, a number of beekeepers did not receive an anticipated soybean flow during July as they had hoped. As a result, colonies clustered in hives and ate stored honey at a time when beekeepers thought that they would be actively foraging. Some beekeepers who took off surplus honey earlier in the season suddenly found themselves in a dearth and had to begin feeding in August.
Michigan flows came later, but they ended up being better than anticipated after much of the state received needed rains to spur plant growth. Similarly, many Wisconsin beekeepers also received fair to good honey flows from sweet clover, white Dutch clover, basswood and assorted wildflowers. Thistles, bee balm and knapweed also provided some nice localized honey flows in parts of Michigan. Both states are hoping for some later flows from late alfalfa, knapweed, goldenrod and loosestrife.
Many beekeepers were busy removing and extracting honey, as well as applying varroa mite controls. Early sales reports have been excellent for honey sold retail and in small wholesale lots locally. However, larger bulk honey offerings are still encountering some price reductions due to cheaper imported honey competition. Small-lot wholesale prices are still generally above $2.00 per pound, but larger lot offering prices are more in the range of $1.65 to 1.80 per pound for new crop white or extra light amber honey.
WEST CENTRAL—Honey crops are looking quite good over much of this area due to timely rains and good foraging weather. At times, stormy weather and torrential rains limited foraging, but the overall impression we received has been that honey crops will be average or better. Parts of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska encountered a lull in foraging during the hotter late summer months. Beekeepers reported bees clustered at the hive entrances with nothing to do. On the other hand, other reporters said that the hot, humid weather was conducive to good soybean flows in their area. Colonies were generally in good condition with excellent bee populations. The exceptions were colonies with failing queens which dwindled during the summer months until wax moths or small hive beetles moved in to take over colonies.
Reporters in the big honey-producing states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota all three seemed to be optimistic about their overall honey crops this season. Moisture and warm weather came at just the right time for a number of beekeepers allowing bees to make good honey crops from canola, alfalfa, white Dutch clover, sweet clover, basswood, sunflowers and knapweed. In Minnesota some beekeepers also reported receiving good second-cutting late alfalfa flows since rain had prevented farmers from cutting their alfalfa crops as quickly as normal. These three northern states were also hoping for additional honey from soybeans, goldenrod and assorted fall flowers.
Wholesale honey demand and pricing continue to be off from last year’s highs. However, small lots of honey sold at the wholesale level, as well as retail honey sales remain strong. A few small-lot sellers have reported dropping their prices below the $2.00 per pound mark, but many are still obtaining prices not far off from last season. Larger lot prices, however, have dropped to between $1.65 and $1.90 per pound.
INTERMOUNTAIN—Reporters were giving widely varying reports on honey crops, depending on whether they had enough moisture or not. Irrigated alfalfa and wildflowers had provided nice honey crops in parts of Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Colorado. In some states yellow and white sweet clover and alsike clover had also produced some nice honey crops. On the other hand, scattered pockets in several states were so dry that beekeepers had been forced to feed bees during the summer. As this was written, beekeepers were busy removing and extracting honey, as well as treating for varroa mites. Mite problems were not too bad this season, but beekeepers indicated that they wanted to treat colonies as soon as they could to keep mite populations in check before winter. Beekeepers were hoping for some late winter stores from rabbit brush, knapweed and assorted fall flowers.
As in other parts of the country, commercial beekeepers continue to encounter lowered offering prices for their new crop honey due to the flood of cheaper imported honey. Retail and small-lot wholesale trading remains strong, however.
WEST—Beekeepers were busy feeding and treating colonies for mites in California. Some wildflowers such as tarweed and blue curls were still blooming, but most wildflowers had dried up for the season. Irrigated fields of various vegetables and seed alfalfa were also quickly drawing to a close. The extremely dry, hot weather continued which further exacerbated the drought. Brush fires were also still common. Some beekeepers were moving their colonies out of state or trying to reposition them closer to water sources for the remainder of the dry season.
Conditions were not as bad in northern California, Oregon and Washington where beekeepers report fair to good honey crops from clover, alfalfa, irrigated vegetables, bee balm, mint, knapweed, yellow star thistle and assorted wildflowers. In some cases beekeepers reported that earlier stormy weather had hurt summer flows. In the mountains, some beekeepers reported fair to good flows from fireweed.
Almond pollination for 2017 is already in the minds of many beekeepers as they begin feeding and medicating colonies in preparation for the season. According to Joe Traynor, writing in his August Almond Pollination Newsletter, “Increased almond acreage will increase the demand for bees somewhat, but will be somewhat offset by the removal of older orchards with declining yields that were not pulled when almond prices were high. Some growers are cutting back on bees—we recommend that growers use no more than 1. 5 colonies per acre…Insurance companies have been an impediment to getting growers to cut back on bees since some crop insurance companies insist on 2 cols/acre.”
Traynor said that “Almond prices took a precipitous drop in March—from over $4/ lb. To the grower to below $2/lb. Prices have since rebounded to over $2 and growers can still make a profit with $2 almonds (unless they have super-expensive water). Due to increased acreage, the 2016 almond crop will be a record for California (but not yield/ acre record). Because much of our almond crop is sold to other countries, our strong dollar puts a damper on foreign sales.”
©American Bee Journal. View All Articles.