Bees and Blueberries

While at the Kitsilano Farmer's Market, I saw a sign for honey made from the blueberries at G- farms. I asked the honeymaker if he has to pay for his bees to have access to the farm. He said actually they pay him for bringing his bees to their farm.

Why can't the farms rely on wild bees to do the pollination? Well in the Frasier valley, the only wild bees are bumble bees which hibernate in the winter in mouseholes. With the cool spring, the bumble bees were late in getting started. I asked if he could charge extra because of the added need for his bees. Unfortunately for him, prices for pollination services fell this summer due to the arrival of a new competitor from Northern Alberta (of all places!). Where the old established price was $95 (per field? acre? I didn't catch that), this guy went to a farm show and announced his willingness to accept $65.

The newcomer has 20,000 colonies in semis and decided to come to the Frasier valley to nourish his bees here before taking them to the Canola fields of the prairies for the summer. The farmer I spoke to still is able to charge over $65 to some local farms ($75 to G- farm) because of the established relationship which means the farmer can rely upon him to come each year. But the old $95 prices are unattainable.

I bought 250ml of blueberry honey for $4.95. Not only am I looking forward to enjoying it on French Toast, I may use it as a prop for my next lecture on externalities...since now I have my own anecdote to add to the "fable of the bees." (Journal of Law and Economics, 1973, "The Fable of the Bees: An Economic Investigation" by Steven Cheung)