good idea to start or not?

[MikeD]

Hi,
I have been asked to enquire about the possibility of keeping bees for a local grass roots football club, money is not really an issue but generating a small income would be very helpful to the club, its more for putting the club name out into the big bad world and possibly growing over the coming years, sounds very idyllic but I think in reality would not be easy.
we would all be volunteers with no knowledge of bee-keeping, the club has very little money for initial outlay so would be looking second-hand or even donated equipment to get started
would this venture be worth looking into or are the pit falls too great?

Mike

 

[Silly Bee]

Generate a small income.

It will certainly do that, very small.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

I think I'm looking at spending around £200 - £300 on a couple of hives. I'm hoping to go on my local association list to adopt a swarm. I get the impression a colony is best looked after by only one experienced beek or, perhaps, an inexperienced beek plus an experienced mentor.

I'm not expecting profit for a couple of years. Even then, I'll be happy if I'm only breaking even from the beekeeping and bee products. I'm expecting the real money to be in hives and other products for beekeepers.

My recommendation would, definitely, be to get your local beekeeping association involved. Take a basic course, and see where you go from there. The worst possible situation would be to acquire kit and colonies then find it isn't a viable proposition.

 

[itma]

There are probably better fund-raising methods.
Bees don't provide the most frequent or dependable of harvests - and it may be over a year before you get any income at all.

If you and your mates want to get involved with bees, then that's a fine idea. But don't expect it to be much of an income generator.
Get in touch with your local association, meet some bees close-up, get a few books out of the library (there's a lot to learn), and have a good think about where you could securely place a few hives (without creating a nuisance), and what forage there might be in that neighbourhood.

 

[kevboab]

Gotta love this one. I've been fooling the wife that I've been breaking even since started beekeping three years ago. Such a fascinating and addictive hobby that my hand has never been out my pocket buying an ever growing stock of boxes,frames, queen rearing kit,timber for making nucs, oooooooooft list goes on and on.

If only she knew !!!!! :-D

 

[Davelin]

If you are looking at purely as a means of raising money for the club I would say forget it. Start up costs are not insignificant and, as has been said already, you can't expect to make any sort of profit on your outlay for at least 2-3 years.

I think most people take it up as a hobby that might eventually pay back a bit of what you put in, or on a commercial scale operate a few hundred hives.

 

[Luminos]

Forget it.
Sell raffle tickets instead

 

[Silly Bee]

Someone has a signature here that is very apt.

"If you want to make a small fortune from bees, start with a big one."

 

[Erichalfbee]

kazmcc on the forum did something similar albeit with a primary school.
You might like to do a search through her threads.
Actually haven't seen her on here for a while

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

kazmcc on the forum did something similar albeit with a primary school.
You might like to do a search through her threads.
Actually haven't seen her on here for a while

Was thinking the same myself the other day - where are you Kaz?

 

[johncorne]

I've been fooling the wife that I've been breaking even since started beekeping three years ago.

After 6 years I almost was - then had to get an off-road vehicle to get to the apiaries

Jc

 

[oliver90owner]

Was thinking the same myself the other day - where are you Kaz?

Last Activity: 12th January 2012 04:42 AM

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi,
I have been asked to enquire about the possibility of keeping bees for a local grass roots football club, money is not really an issue but generating a small income would be very helpful to the club, its more for putting the club name out into the big bad world and possibly growing over the coming years, sounds very idyllic but I think in reality would not be easy.
we would all be volunteers with no knowledge of bee-keeping, the club has very little money for initial outlay so would be looking second-hand or even donated equipment to get started
would this venture be worth looking into or are the pit falls too great?

Mike

If you have room for a few hives say 3+ you could always advertise it as a poss apiary for a more experienced beekeeper with the proviso that he or she runs your hive for you and you get the honey from that hive.

I do a similar thing at a large community allotment site it works well they sell their farming produce and honey at a local farmers market and they even sell my honey when theirs is all gone.

 

[BBG]

Hi,
I have been asked to enquire about the possibility of keeping bees for a local grass roots football club, money is not really an issue but generating a small income would be very helpful to the club, its more for putting the club name out into the big bad world and possibly growing over the coming years, sounds very idyllic but I think in reality would not be easy.
we would all be volunteers with no knowledge of bee-keeping, the club has very little money for initial outlay so would be looking second-hand or even donated equipment to get started
would this venture be worth looking into or are the pit falls too great?

Mike

The above in bold are conflicting statements.

I know it's a bit revolutionary but why don't those in the club with jobs put in say £100 or £200 each and see how many hives and necessary equipment (don't forget the BIG shed you need to store everything) you can get from that.

Then send one on a course to ensure the bees are looked after in a proper manner.

Then hope this weather breaks and your bees will multiply and then next year after feeding them all winter, treating and monitoring them, hope they survive through to next year and flourish to give some honey, providing they don't swarm etc.

Oh, DON'T buy second-hand - you could be buying goodbye to your bees.

BOL

 

[REDWOOD]

It probably sounds like a good idea get the bees to make money for your club but in reality, all things considered, time, transport initial outlay, medications, honey extractor and packaging NO, unless you do bees on the budget, If you have a carpenter, who can make the hives an engineer/sheet metal worker who can make you an extractor, a farmer or land owner who won't mind a few beehives and a pest control officer who can collect a swarm or to free then all you need is frames and foundations, bee suits, tools, a few feeders the usual medication and most important Knowledge.
Most beekeepers here are hobbyists and don't make much money if any but we do it for our love of this insect, the satisfaction of producing our very own honey and being part of a very friendly community. Good luck

 

[victor meldrew]

Gotta love this one. I've been fooling the wife that I've been breaking even since started beekeping three years ago. Such a fascinating and addictive hobby that my hand has never been out my pocket buying an ever growing stock of boxes,frames, queen rearing kit,timber for making nucs, oooooooooft list goes on and on.

If only she knew !!!!! :-D

As a radio ham of many years standing I think most hobbyists try to conceal/justify their outgoings
I read in 'Rad-Com' the list of new licensees , in the same issue (Readers letters) amongst the back patting and congratutating missives was one cryptic note from wife, stating '"If I'd have known HE was to qualify for a license to spend large sums of money, I wouldn't have encouraged him so much "
VM

 

[alanf]

Hi,
I have been asked to enquire about the possibility of keeping bees for a local grass roots football club, money is not really an issue but generating a small income would be very helpful to the club, its more for putting the club name out into the big bad world and possibly growing over the coming years, sounds very idyllic but I think in reality would not be easy.

First question I'd ask an experienced beekeeping local is: is there a suitable site for a hive or two at the club? Where there is no risk of being hit by stray balls and ideally out of sight or reach to curious visitors, dogwalkers etc. If there is, you might be better off renting the spot to a local beekeeper for a jar or two of honey than investing a lot of money and effort up front.

 

[Spadaman]

I wonder if the OP has been reading an old beekeeping booklet that I have ( originally published by E H Taylor Ltd ) which tells the beginner ....

" The initial outlay is not great - beginners outfits are listed in detail in our catalogue. Therafter the yearly maintenance is very little"

Just to prove they really knew about beekeeping it goes on to say -

" No heavy work is entailed and beekeeping is particularly suitable for women. Unlike all other forms of livestock a hive of bees only requires weekly examination involving about 10 minutes work, and this is only from April to August. "

Clearly I am doing it wrong......

 

[AnotherNewBee]

As a radio ham of many years standing I think most hobbyists try to conceal/justify their outgoings
I read in 'Rad-Com' the list of new licensees , in the same issue (Readers letters) amongst the back patting and congratutating missives was one cryptic note from wife, stating '"If I'd have known HE was to qualify for a license to spend large sums of money, I wouldn't have encouraged him so much "
VM

In the good old days of 'proper' wage packets with real money in them it was common practice, especially in the North East, for wives to insist that hubby gave his full and unopened wage packet to them.

I knew a guy who went into a local stationery shop every week, bought a wage packet, transferred a small amount of his pay into it and dutifully gave that to his wife.

He enjoyed his beer. She never knew where he got his beer tickets.

 

[Skyhook]

Hi,
I have been asked to enquire about the possibility of keeping bees for a local grass roots football club, generating a small income would be very helpful to the club, Mike

Honestly, almost any other way of raising money is a better way of raising money.