How can you afford lots of colonies

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On bee farms where the production of honey with a minimum of labour is the object, it seems to have become generally accepted that there is only one practicable method of management. This is the system of periodical examination every nine, or possibly ten days. Amateur beekeepers frequently write to the bee-press pointing out how foolish the bee farmers are to go to all this labour when there are
so many much more simple and easy methods that might be employed. It does not, seemingly, occur to them that the reason we do it is that we know of no better way. We don't open our hives in regular rotation eight or nine times every summer for the fun of it. On a bee farm you must have a method which provides for the management of distant apiaries that can only be visited at stated times: every kind of scheme must allow for considerable intervals between visits, and the biology of the honeybee practically forces us to make the intervals nine days in length.
I have found that when I have mentioned the usual methods employed on bee farms, quite a lot of beekeepers seem to misunderstand what is implied. The late Dr. Anderson was a case in point, and he used to become quite facetious when dealing with those of us who spend a good deal of our time over what is known as swarm control. Anderson, of course, had no experience of large-scale beekeeping, any more than have the great majority of those who read the bee-press, and he seemed to be unable to understand the reason for our routine work; seemed, in fact, to think that every colony dealt
with was a swarming colony, and to consider those who practised it, little better than fools. Like so many others who are greatly interested in beekeeping, Anderson never got beyond the stage of the enthusiastic amateur. Some years ago, after reading some of this sort of stuff in the bee-press and elsewhere, about how simple and easy swarm control
can be without having recourse to periodical examinations, I really did begin to wonder whether, after all, I could have been altogether mistaken through all these many years; so I wrote a line to the two most extensive bee farmers I know at all well, Gale and Madoc. I asked the simple question: 'Is there any other way of control that will certainly prevent the loss of swarms?'Gale replied, 'I know of none'; Madoc said, 'I do not know of any.' Well, I don't know of any other way, either.
 
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Quote.
On bee farms where the production of honey with a minimum of labour is the object, it seems to have become generally accepted that there is only one practicable method of management. This is the system of periodical examination every nine, or possibly ten days. Amateur beekeepers frequently write to the bee-press pointing out how foolish the bee farmers are to go to all this labour when there are
so many much more simple and easy methods that might be employed. It does not, seemingly, occur to them that the reason we do it is that we know of no better way. We don't open our hives in regular rotation eight or nine times every summer for the fun of it. On a bee farm you must have a method which provides for the management of distant apiaries that can only be visited at stated times: every kind of scheme must allow for considerable intervals between visits, and the biology of the honeybee practically forces us to make the intervals nine days in length.
I have found that when I have mentioned the usual methods employed on bee farms, quite a lot of beekeepers seem to misunderstand what is implied. The late Dr. Anderson was a case in point, and he used to become quite facetious when dealing with those of us who spend a good deal of our time over what is known as swarm control. Anderson, of course, had no experience of large-scale beekeeping, any more than have the great majority of those who read the bee-press, and he seemed to be unable to understand the reason for our routine work; seemed, in fact, to think that every colony dealt
with was a swarming colony, and to consider those who practised it, little better than fools. Like so many others who are greatly interested in beekeeping, Anderson never got beyond the stage of the enthusiastic amateur. Some years ago, after reading some of this sort of stuff in the bee-press and elsewhere, about how simple and easy swarm control
can be without having recourse to periodical examinations, I really did begin to wonder whether, after all, I could have been altogether mistaken through all these many years; so I wrote a line to the two most extensive bee farmers I know at all well, Gale and Madoc. I asked the simple question: 'Is there any other way of control that will certainly prevent the loss of swarms?'Gale replied, 'I know of none'; Madoc said, 'I do not know of any.' Well, I don't know of any other way, either.

I recognised your quote immediately having just returned the book to the library van
 
HM, if on inspecting a colony you see charged QCs do you perform an AS? Subsequently, what do you do with the two colonies - recombine? split?

Thanks
 
I think commercial beefarming is a bit like the Magic Circle.
There are criteria to be met, such as: 1000+ stings;
£1,000's spent on unnecessary/plain wrong equipment; 100's of wasted hours barking up the wrong tree/reinventing the wheel :) Only once you have qualified are you admitted and the absolute knowledge given to you.
I don't begrudge them in the slightest, in fact I applaud it. The information age has made it far too easy for any old Joe bloggs to trot up and proclaim expertise :D
 
I recognised your quote immediately having just returned the book to the library van

I lifted the book off my shelves on Tuesday night and its currently sitting on my desk awaiting a wee re-read over lunch with a cup of coffee ...

There are some books that are worth going back to as you can learn from them
 
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Beekeeping's basic idea is, that you take bees' winter food off and change it to cheaper food, sugar.

You need 20 kg sugar for hive. The cost is £ 12.

When you sell 20 kg honey, you get £ 200


If you do not sell honey, and you over winter bees with honey, beekeeping is a expencive hobby.

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Throwing figures around , so much for this and so much for that, on paper it can be worked out, simple. In reality though it's very different. When making a living out of it you have to throw in your time at say minimum wage which at a guess is around 8.50 an hour which eats into your income big time , then running AND paying for a vehicle , extra labour at certain times of the year and for many commercial beekeepers housing all your equipment which if your fortunate like myself and own the property then no rent need be paid but if a rent needs to be found your looking at between 500 and 1000 per month, again eating big time into your income .
How I practice beekeeping would be seriously frowned on by the masses but without going into the nitty gritty it works for me. I do the same (with some variations, experiments if you like) year in year out and basically your in the hands of the gods some years are good , some bad .
2 ton from 30 hives as someone suggested is pie in the sky , you might get that for one season if you were lucky but trust me it doesn't work out like that.
I'm not in it for the money I do it because it's a nice way of life and as long as you can break even and keep going that's all that matters, to me anyway.
 
Sorry but very basic error above.

Having just retired from self employment and normally working a 15 hour day, plus being woken in the wee hours sometimes more than once a night I can ASSURE you it is impossible to calculate in a figure of a wage.

To save you asking my wife and I ran a busy guest house close to an airport sleeping 19.

Manley. Madoc and Gale is the clue.

PH
 
Obviously there are costs attached to all hobbies, be it a Sporting, Equestrianism or Philately pursuit... In my experience which I realise is a relatively short time of keeping bees (6-7 years) I haven't once thought to myself that this is an expensive hobby in general comparison.

There is a world of difference between the needs of a hobbyist/ occasional seller and that of a business model.

Hobby = Should be fun & stimulating & relaxing & rewarding
Business = £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ & if you are lucky some of the above.
 
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I have met much people (beekeepers), who count value to their free time.

We have much unemployed, who are so expencive, that they do not have afford to go to work.


Hobby = outcomes are bigger than incomes.
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Hobby = professional makes the job once. The hobbiest do the same work 3 times.
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What book is this please .

R.O.B. Manley - "Honey Farming". ISBN 0-907908-45-4
Available as a reprint from Northern Bee Books.

Apologies - I "replied" before seeing that others have provided the book title and that a copy has arrived. Enjoy reading and re-reading it.
 
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R.O.B. Manley - "Honey Farming". ISBN 0-907908-45-4
Available as a reprint from Northern Bee Books.

Available free as a pdf version here. Ideal if you have an electronic reading device like a kindle or whatever.
 

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