Bee Hives have been logically placed in drops[sites] alongside our Almond Orchard right on schedule. The ranch manager today reported a count of 344 hives.

Hives are wooden box homes for the bees. In the drop pictured here I see the hives arranged on two pallets. The pallet is for convenience during truck transport.

Inside each hive is a colony. Interior space is maximized by the use of numerous wooden frames much like file folders in a filing cabinet. A frame supports a honey wax comb structure built and maintained entirely by the bees themselves.

Our independently contracted for Bee Inspector,  Ron Feist, will arrive on the scene in a couple of weeks time and perform his evaluation. Since there are so many hives it is not feasible to inspect them all. He will randomly open 15% of the colonies and peak inside. From this sample size we will get a good idea of the colony strength.
We make payment to the Beekeeper based on colony strength but more importantly we get assurance that there are enough bees to pollinate the entire orchard. The payment arrangement gives the Beekeeper incentive to provide a robust product.

The inspector will count frames and list his findings and totals on his report to us. A frame must have 3/4 coverage of bees on both sides to qualify as full. Frames that are less populous will be sum totaled until they qualify as single valid frame.  The University of California – Cooperative Extension Fresno County provides guidance detail for extra credit.