Paradise Honey Farms

UPDATE: 2/03/18: Dogs have been reunited with the proper owners! Thank you to everyone that has commented, shared, and helped out with this quest!!! PLEASE... SHARE & REPOST IF YOU LIVE IN THE SPRINGVILLE AREA: RE: GREAT PYRENEES DOGS FOUND AND MENTIONED IN YESTERDAY'S POSTING. These two male Pyrenees were found wandering Balch Park Rd, between Harris Rd & Blue Oaks Dr.. No name tags, no collars, and now have verified they have no microchips. If you recognize these two, or happen to be the one missing them, then please contact Jean at (559) 539-3150 to arrange pick-up. She can also be reached via email at: [email protected]. Thank you friends and fellow pet lovers for your help in getting these wayward children back home.

Almond bloom is just around the corner, and it’s time to think about honey bee hive health. The following are recommendations to help ensure bee health and the best possible pollination. Communication Good communication is important, especially about pest control decisions between the beekeeper, bee broker, county agricultural commissioner, grower, farm manager, pest control adviser (PCA) and pesticide applicator.... Agreements Any agreements should include a pesticide plan outlining which pest control materials will be used. Growers and beekeepers should agree on which materials will be applied if a treatment becomes necessary. If treatment is necessary, growers should give beekeepers 48-hour notice before an application is made. Applying Pesticides Before applying pesticides, contact the local county agricultural commissioner as specified in Honey Bee BMP Communication Chain for California Almonds from the Almond Board of California so that advance notification is given to beekeepers with nearby managed hives. Insecticides Avoid insecticide applications during almond bloom until more is known about their impact on bee brood (young developing bees in the hive). If treatment is necessary, only apply fungicides and avoid tank-mixing insecticides with fungicides. Fungicide Application If a fungicide application is necessary during bloom apply in the late afternoon or evening, when bees and pollen aren’t present to avoid contaminating pollen with spray materials. Clean Water Providing clean water for the bees to drink will help ensure that they spend more time pollinating the crop than searching for water. Before a spray application is made cover or remove water or empty and refill after a treatment is made. Spray Applications Don’t directly spray the hives during a pesticide spray application. Make sure that the spray-rig driver turns off nozzles when near the hives. It’s also important not to spray the bees because they won’t be able to fly due to the weight of spray droplets on their wings. Report Report any suspected pesticide-related bee incidents to the county agricultural commissioner’s office. Bee health concerns cannot be addressed without the data from these incidents. Hive Removal Beekeepers and growers need to agree on hive removal timing. The University of California (UC) recommends bee removal when 90 percent of the flowers on the latest blooming variety are at petal fall. After that, no pollination is taking place.

May your 2017 Christmas BEE Merry! Thank you to everyone who has viewed and/or shared this page, and we look forward to serving your honey needs in 2018. Find us on FaceBook at @ParadiseHoneyFarms. Happy holidays from Paradise Honey Farms. :-)

Definitely something for other beekeepers to think about. :-) Don't know about others nationwide, but personally we have lost almost 70% of our hives over the last two seasons due to colonization loss perpetuated by increased pesticide users, soil/water contamination, and of course the continuous urban sprawl. Utilizing the solar energy boom/growth seems like a good possibility to help at least partially combat some of these issues. Remember people.....no pollinators = no food! :-(