Commercial v's Hobby

[beesleybees]

Have you seen that amazing video about the german beekeeper who can tell when the bees are going to swarm by watching how they behave at the entrance? Fascinating! He then puts a thing like a big sock over the entrance (It's a skep, not a hive) and catches the swarm as it comes out to sell it later. This is true, not a p*** take. He never wears gloves so in Spring his fingers are like twiglets. In Summer they're like sausages.

any chance of a link? would love to see this

pm me if links not allowed

 

[BeeJayBee]

any chance of a link? would love to see this

pm me if links not allowed

I think this is the one.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5pY8hOEj4[/ame]

 

[jackbee]

I think this is the one.

blimey he doesn't mess about does he!!

don't think i'd fancy that without a suit and gloves, wonder how much he gets stung

 

[Poly Hive]

I rather think the going rate is a bit more than a pound a pound... more like £2.30 but no doubt Murray will be along and update that figure.

PH

 

[dpearce4]

Paynes quoted me £2.30 a lb on saturday

 

[Haughton Honey]

This is a great topic.
If you are a commercial beekeeper, then surley you would be selling the honey to the trade. So you would probbly selling at £1 or so per LB. Take into account you would need to treat all your hives and possibly feed, you would need to be turing over £100,000 plus per year. Then there would be the start up costs. A few hundred, or 1000 hives, plus bees, equiptment. Start up costs would be hefty. The time involved is great. If you were to employ anyone, then your annual income would have to increase. Mind boggling. And anyone who does this deserves a big medal.
Having said that, if 90% or so of honey is imported, there must be an opening in the UK for such people.

I'll buy all you have at £1 a LB.............!

 

[adrian wilford]

i run double national brood chambers, look at the top frames if no Q cells present, split the double brood look underneath the top box for q cells hanging down and on the top bars of the bottom brood box , 3 mins done and dusted, usually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[REDWOOD]

There will be someone along to tell you how it's done if hes not to knackered

 

[Bates]

This is a great topic.
If you are a commercial beekeeper, then surley you would be selling the honey to the trade. So you would probbly selling at £1 or so per LB. Take into account you would need to treat all your hives and possibly feed, you would need to be turing over £100,000 plus per year. Then there would be the start up costs. A few hundred, or 1000 hives, plus bees, equiptment. Start up costs would be hefty. The time involved is great. If you were to employ anyone, then your annual income would have to increase. Mind boggling. And anyone who does this deserves a big medal.
Having said that, if 90% or so of honey is imported, there must be an opening in the UK for such people.

25K in startup costs, wonder when I will see it back? Sorry IF I will see it back.

We run regular inspections every week no matter the day / weather. We inspected near to 100 colonys yesterday on a bank holiday and had a few collections.

This involves obviously checking for queen presence, eggs. General brood status and checking if they are trying to swarm. General maintenance, checking stores scraping top bar wax. Then ofcourse good eye for disease inspection.

 

[Tdf]

2.75 a kilo was price last year.
not commercial but if i was under pressure after bad weather all id do is check queen laying, space in top super then check between 2 bbs for queencells and take action if necessary. if no queencells can do 20-25 an hour

 

[dpearce4]

At how many hives would you start being classed as a commercial beekeeper?
20, 40, 50?

 

[tonybloke]

40, doug

 

[Foxylad]

Think i read somewhere in America you wouldn't be classed as a commercial beekeeper, unless you had over 500 hives.

Anyone know who is the largest beekeeper in the uk?

 

[Bates]

Anyone know who is the largest beekeeper in the uk?

Probably Murray Mgreggor?

 

[tonybloke]

Anyone know who is the largest beekeeper in the uk?

probably Murray, forum member ITLD, and a regular in the 'pub' chat room

 

[Poly Hive]

I think that would be a definite yes.

There are several around the 1000 mark, I can think of four straight off, but all in Scotland oddly.

PH

 

[dpearce4]

why is 40 seen as the mark to be classed as commercial?

 

[hallshoney]

isnt it minimum of 50 to be a member of the bee farmers association?. quince honey farm has 1500 hives

 

[Poly Hive]

It used to be 40 when I joined.

PH

 

[Bates]

isnt it minimum of 50 to be a member of the bee farmers association?. quince honey farm has 1500 hives

Its 40