Beekeepers Professions

[Curly green finger's]

Yes I found scant details on the Dave Cushman site but I will have to do some more investigation.
Since posting one of my clients has asked me to supply another 15 hives so I may be a bit busier than I thought this winter!

And your getting paid for it Neil, do you get an hourly rate?

 

[Newbeeneil]

I price all my work based on the cost to me then add as much as I think the client can afford! Corporate clients can afford lots .

 

[Sammyangelbee]

I know what you mean. I was in the South Birmingham Beekeepers Association. Hmmmm........

May I ask what your issue was please?

 

[JamezF]

Since this thread has been reincarnated and has been an interesting read, I'll add my own entry...

Worked in IT for almost 35 years as a programmer and systems admin, working for myself for the last 20-ish of those. Sort of ran out of work at the end of November 2020 and haven't been able to face going back to it yet, though I've been dabbling here and there for a couple of local companies now and then to keep a bit of money coming in. I've worked on internet-related stuff (including running computer ops at an ISP for a few years) since the mid-90s when most people didn't even know it existed, but it's a struggle trying to find genuinely interesting work in IT these days.

Amongst other things I'm also a Level 2 swimming coach and currently volunteer at a local school helping them out teaching the students to swim.

Currently trying to find something that inspires me as a means of earning a fair living and perhaps doesn't involve sitting in front of a computer all the time, but also allows me to carry on doing the volunteering stuff because it's actually a huge amount of fun.

The way the world is going though, I'm not expecting to ever be able to retire. Not unless someone donates me a winning lottery ticket, anyhow.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

I price all my work based on the cost to me then add as much as I think the client can afford! Corporate clients can afford lots .

Hourly rate me £25 per hour
Your hourly rate for corporates???
I've found out that beekeepers working for folk are few and far between.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Hourly rate me £25 per hour
Your hourly rate for corporates???
I've found out that beekeepers working for folk are few and far between.

Indeed. If someone wants you to keep their bees you can charge what you want plus what they can afford.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Indeed. If someone wants you to keep their bees you can charge what you want plus what they can afford.

Interesting, I only know of a few that do what me and you do, do you know any other folk??

 

[Newbeeneil]

Interesting, I only know of a few that do what me and you do, do you know any other folk??

Plenty in London servicing the institutions

 

[Nannysbees]

Do any of you beeks look after other people's bees when the owners go on holidays?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Do any of you beeks look after other people's bees when the owners go on holidays?

The reason two of my owners pay me is that they spend most of the year "on holiday" in their "other" houses dotted around the globe!

 

[Curly green finger's]

The reason two of my owners pay me is that they spend most of the year "on holiday" in their "other" houses dotted around the globe!

Same here for my employer.

 

[PeaBee]

As I missed it 1st time round. I am an environmental health officer working mainly in food safety. Fairly late entrant to the profession and was previously a soldier for most of my career. Spent a bit of time in education after leaving the army and a couple of seasons working as a professional beekeeper for a big outfit. Now balance my time between EH work and my own 80 colonies.

 

[Nannysbees]

As I missed it 1st time round. I am an environmental health officer working mainly in food safety. Fairly late entrant to the profession and was previously a soldier for most of my career. Spent a bit of time in education after leaving the army and a couple of seasons working as a professional beekeeper for a big outfit. Now balance my time between EH work and my own 80 colonies.

Wow 80 colonies must keep you busy, are your hives local to where you live?

 

[Bumble Bee Slim]

Was a professional gardener playing guitar for fun but for the last 15 years of my working life I was a professional guitarist who gardened for fun.Now retired and have had my bees for 5 years ( though I did have a dabble in those far off pre varroa days ).

 

[Somerford]

I've always worked. Started helping my Dad carry bricks and pushing barrows at his building sites (he was a part time builder and teacher) and as soon as I could I took all the work I could get at weekends and evenings - pot washing, table waiting, worked in a chippy, car accessory retail. Paid my way through uni by working every holiday temping which included selling Ice Creams to NAFFI stores from the Walls head office to road sweeping, bin collecting, and working at a milk processor that made everything from bottling raw milk to butter to milk portions for Concorde and I helped set up the first FRIJJ milkshake line too. Spent some time in the TA while at uni and a bit of travel between full time jobs.
Then into retail and I've been in retail since uni in various guises running 250+ employees and a £75m business - luckily that's in the past - and I have more time for the bees which I manage to do as well as a full time job. I've kept bees for 30+ years now and hope that I'll be keeping them another 30 well into 'retirement'.

 

[PeaBee]

Wow 80 colonies must keep you busy, are your hives local to where you live?

It does keep me busy but in a good way. If I had not spent the time working full time on a huge commercial bee farm I doubt I could manage half that number. But it speeded up my own skills and gave me techniques I use to make it feasible. I try to overwinter and have them on osr sites fairly close to home. But other locations for different crops, pollination and heather can be a fair trek away.

 

[Bluebell1985]

I'm a police officer on emergency response with about 6 years in. Far too many years to go before I can retire.

Formerly I worked in animal care/behaviour which my uni education was tailored to. I've always wanted to get bees and thought I best get started before it's too late. Will start with two hives in spring and see how I get on.

 

[E&MBees]

I'm a police officer on emergency response with about 6 years in. Far too many years to go before I can retire.

Formerly I worked in animal care/behaviour which my uni education was tailored to. I've always wanted to get bees and thought I best get started before it's too late. Will start with two hives in spring and see how I get on.

Good luck

 

[Curly green finger's]

Good luck

Yes good luck @Bluebell1985 be interested to know how you get on

 

[Anduril]

I started keeping bees, nearly 41 years ago, my first hive came from an observation hive at Hawthorn High School near Pontypridd. After leaving school I used to install mainframe computers all over the UK and then the start of the Personal Computer before Microsoft became the dominant feature. Then 38 years so far in Royal Mail, as well as 11 years as a part time lecturer at a local University and 25 years as a sports coach (swordfencing). Stopped being a coach 4 years ago after getting an injury which is common in marathon runners and took 18 months to recover. Previous injuries through fencing, no cartilage left in both big toes after a number of clashes while competing and now using NHS sole inserts from Australia and still leading an active life.