Maximum number of colonies...

[sipa]

By asking the question "Maximun number of colonies...." You imply that you want to maximise output and therefore revenue.

Perhaps it may be better to set out your goals for financial reward and then decide how best to achieve that goal. Maximising the number of colonies you can manage often results in reduced output and financial returns.

Work smarter, not harder !

 

[BMH]

By asking the question "Maximun number of colonies...." You imply that you want to maximise output and therefore revenue.

Perhaps it may be better to set out your goals for financial reward and then decide how best to achieve that goal. Maximising the number of colonies you can manage often results in reduced output and financial returns.

Work smarter, not harder !

Now that's good advice! And you are correct, maximising revenue is the main aim.

Go on then, taking away the prospect of increasing numbers, give me your top 3 for increasing revenue?

 

[sipa]

Now that's good advice! And you are correct, maximising revenue is the main aim.

Go on then, taking away the prospect of increasing numbers, give me your top 3 for increasing revenue?

1. Recognise where your beekeeping skillset gives you an edge
2. Produce and / or offer a superior premium product
3. Understand, target and develop your market for your premium product.

Simples

 

[mjt68]

1. Recognise where your beekeeping skillset gives you an edge
2. Produce a superior premium product
3. Understand, target and develop your market for your premium product.

Simples

You've made it sound simple! Would you mind expanding on 1) please?

 

[sipa]

You've made it sound simple! Would you mind expanding on 1) please?

This is part of the problem.
I'm not going to spoon feed you, think about it.

Some possibilities...

Honey production, liquid/cut comb/frames
Queen breeding/rearing
Teaching
Equipment supply
the list goes on....

 

[Beefriendly]

, give me your top 3 for increasing revenue?

Only a top 1.
Strain of bees.
Compare and contrast (in the same apiary) and see what works best in terms of maximum honey production per hive. Not all strains of bees are equal when it comes to collecting honey, as past experience has shown.

 

[For want of a better word]

Only a top 1.
Strain of bees.
Compare and contrast (in the same apiary) and see what works best in terms of maximum honey production per hive. Not all strains of bees are equal when it comes to collecting honey, as past experience has shown.

Remarkable how there is not a one type of honey bee fits all situations..... comparison... compare and contrast..... I have found that type of bees and type of forage can be remarkably different in different locations!

All of this takes time... and ask around what other beekeepers use in different locations!!

 

[Beefriendly]

I have found that type of bees and type of forage can be remarkably different in different locations!
!

I've found types of forage to vary enormously... the types of bees you vary yourself. When I compared Amm v Local mongrel v Buckfast v Carniolans the comparisons where all done in the same apiaries...so they had equal chances.
It takes a season to do some reasonable comparisons...like medical drug trials when the results are so obvious it's not worth persevering with the dross.

There was one outright winner when it came to honey collection. I had a stand out winner in every location it was tested in.....It wasn't Amm...or local mongrel bees....
I'm about to harvest and extract my first supers tomorrow....how are your Cornish wastes of space doing?

 

[Poly Hive]

Max the value of your wax. Often ignored. Polish sells very well as do the little skep candles.

By all means shift your honey in bulk but comb honey is sought after by Delicatessens and its easy to do.

Strain of bee is critical. Poor overwintering colonies should be dumped by killing the rubbish queens and uniting ASAP to avoid the genes getting another chance to waste your time.

If you must use square equipment buy transport that it fits. Efficiency is all.

Assess bees and sites with a hard head on. Be ruthless. Keep good records of honey takes, honest ones.

PH

 

[ericbeaumont]

Understand, target and develop your market for your premium product.

Essential, and a better option than mentioned by PH: By all means shift your honey in bulk.

Fewer colonies, managed effectively with the right sites and queens (agree with BF's Buckfast) and honey (esp. comb honey) sold at a proper premium price, will give the return; set the return first.

Bulk sale means volume must compensate for low commercial rates of around £3.50/lb. Selling the Sipa way does involve the cost of packaging and selling, but that can be an enjoyable challenge; presumably many beefarmers are not interested or know how to play that game, so compensate with increased numbers (and work at the sharp end).

 

[mbc]

1. Recognise where your beekeeping skillset gives you an edge
2. Produce and / or offer a superior premium product
3. Understand, target and develop your market for your premium product.

Simples

Great post

 

[SDM]

Essential, and a better option than mentioned by PH: By all means shift your honey in bulk.

Fewer colonies, managed effectively with the right sites and queens (agree with BF's Buckfast) and honey (esp. comb honey) sold at a proper premium price, will give the return; set the return first.

Bulk sale means volume must compensate for low commercial rates of around £3.50/lb. Selling the Sipa way does involve the cost of packaging and selling, but that can be an enjoyable challenge; presumably many beefarmers are not interested or know how to play that game, so compensate with increased numbers (and work at the sharp end).

I'm sure that works well for someone living in the capital or certainly the wealthier South of the country.
A vastly reduced potential market( based simply on population density) and totally different distribution costs in time for more rural areas generally. Plus the fact that the price of a jar of honey can vary hugely from one part of the country to another, whilst the price of bulk honey remains mostly constant nationally. For a small operation in an area where jarred honey prices are lower, the bulk honey price is nowhere near as big a penalty.

 

[Poly Hive]

The major difference between jarring up yourself and selling in bulk is time.

Pouring from the extractor into a fifty gallon drum is simple and easy.

Filtering to a high standard and then bottling, and then distributing is very time intensive and the OP said from the off that time was limited, hence my agreement that bulk was the way to go.

I wonder how many who are chucking opinions around have actually sold a couple of tons a year. Year on year. Well I have.

PH

 

[foghornleghorn]

The major difference between jarring up yourself and selling in bulk is time.

Pouring from the extractor into a fifty gallon drum is simple and easy.

Filtering to a high standard and then bottling, and then distributing is very time intensive and the OP said from the off that time was limited, hence my agreement that bulk was the way to go.

I wonder how many who are chucking opinions around have actually sold a couple of tons a year. Year on year. Well I have.

PH

If it's more income the op wants, doing overtime or basically anything else would be better than having to fill a few thousand jars and go to the hassle of calling round to shops

 

[BMH]

I appreciate its a fine line I am treading.

I want to maximise revenue but also maximise my assets, hence the desire to increase hive numbers. I understand that the two aren't intrinsically linked but there is no doubt that more hives CAN result in more revenue and DOES lead to a greater asset allocation on the balance sheet.

I work a FT PAYE job so can offset 40% tax against any purchases and of course reclaim the VAT. It makes increasing hive numbers a very tax efficient way of expanding a sideline business.

Optimisation is an iterative process and expanding the business doesnt need to stagnate whilst optimisation takes place. That's not to say I neglect my bees. They are treated for disease, inspected every week and use queens that are less than 24 months old of known heritage (Buckfast F1 and F2).

Im not interested in spending Friday down at Aldi stacking shelves to make an extra few quid and I dont have the time or inclination to jar or market the honey, hence the arrangement with the bee farmer.

Again, I appreciate that its seems confused, but it isnt.

I want to maximise revenue and asset base, whilst minimising time spent and accepting a lower bulk price for my products.

Suggestions of value added services such as queen rearing, wax products etc are excellent examples of where I can increase revenue without deviating from my business plan.

 

[Antipodes]

Are commercial rates there really $16 Au a kg (3 pounds 50 per pound of honey) or have I stuffed up my arithmetic? Commercial rates here (in Australia) are about $4 Au a kg.

 

[BMH]

The rates are correct.. Just checked on the currency convertors.

 

[Poly Hive]

I would temper that by saying that could well be the top end of the scale. Where is ITLD when you need him?

PH

 

[SDM]

Are commercial rates there really $16 Au a kg (3 pounds 50 per pound of honey) or have I stuffed up my arithmetic? Commercial rates here (in Australia) are about $4 Au a kg.

Simple supply and demand, we can only produce about 2o% of our honey demand.
Australia produces more than 10 times the amount of honey for 1/3rd of the population size.

 

[eltalia]

Are commercial rates there really $16 Au a kg (3 pounds 50 per pound of honey) or have
I stuffed up my arithmetic? Commercial rates here (in Australia) are about $4 Au a kg.

$4.50/kg actually, and about to change to a genourous $6 with the new owners
of Capilano in place, or so the rumour mill has it.
Genourous bassids, eh.
Very difficult to supply South from NQ as freight kills us, but many do okay in
retailing at 250gram pots at ~$5. Some farmers markets can build on that to
$8 which is getting close to acceptable money - if you can do the work manning
stalls.
There was an ABC radio story recently where a bloke in Cairns was saying he had
a Woolworths contract for $3K a tonne. He thought that was a goid deal.

Bill