Mike Burgett is the Emeritus Professor of Entomology at OSU, where he has taught since 1974.
He has conducted a huge amount of work on apiculture research, including a survey of beekeepers and growers in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which is our main topic for today.
Today we’ll discuss pollination markets as they are today, the history of beekeepers in this region and the unique pollination scenarios in the Pacific Northwest.
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“I wanted to know how much of a beekeeper’s income is dependent on pollination rental.” – Mike Burgett
Show Notes:
- Where bees are being used for pollination in the Pacific Northwest
- The fruit industries that need controlled pollination
- Why the almond industry in California has an effect on commercial beekeepers in Oregon and Washington
- How many colonies are needed to pollinate certain crops in the Pacific Northwest
- Why Mike started the survey of local pollination markets in the Western US
- The trends that he has seen in the last 30 years, and how commercial beekeepers stay profitable
- How the price of pollination fees has changed
- What has happened to the almond industry and why prices have increased so much
- Why it’s a profitable time to be a beekeeper
- The work that he has done in Southeast Asia with bees
“Your renting bees not to guarantee a crop. You’re renting bees to guarantee against crop failure. Pollination is the cheapest crop insurance a grower can get.” – Mike Burgett
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