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Below minimum wage then?
Doesn't that depend on how old the worker is?

But, yes, it would be for most hence my 'about'. Mind you, relying entirely on bees for income I can say that in the early days there were times when minimum wage would have been welcomed.
 
My rate varies between £18-£25 depending on what it looks like they can afford to pay! 😁
 
It sounds like you could have a suitable site for an apiary there.
You may want to suggest putting your own hives there and selling the honey to them at a reasonable rate. I am sure they will add a suitable mark up on the price.
Honey for wedding favours goes a long way as you usually use very small jars.
That way you get to keep bees.
They get their supply of honey, and you have a regular customer.

If they do want their own hives then show them which ones you want them to get.
I would bet on them saying 'We want those white ones with the sloping walls, look great in photos '
 
That's why I suggested that the Bee keeper tell them what hives to get :D
 
How much is the going rate for doing this in the UK?
Depends where you are in the UK, Will.

Here in London I started at £25/hour about five years ago (to a set management schedule) but now charge £45-65. Recently I decided to abandon the idea of giving a schedule to the client and will ask a flat fee, within which I can come and go only as necessary.

If you have a rural apiary in a field and no-one to bother you and you love doing it, then your expectations will be lower, but I can tell you that parking, getting gear onto and honey off roofs, security passes and similar palaver makes the job expensive in energy.

I agree with Nick and Steve's suggestion: keep your bees there and charge them a flat fee per jar. I know of a project that charges £3 to bottle and label and deliver, and those wedding jars are tiny.

Drawback of the client paying for the bees, equipment and management is that their short-term expectations may be high, while their hefty investment will see a return only in the very long-term.
 
I have been asked to manage some hives for a local wedding venue. They would like to sell the honey etc. How much is the going rate for doing this in the UK?
Well ... you've had all the negatives in the beeworld thrown at you so far ! Looking at the positives - it's a nice site and you've found a spot well away from any commercial activity, you have a few years of beekeeping experience so, hopefully, you have some idea of what you are doing, regardless of any BBKA qualifications (which are treated with scorn by some on here).

There appears (from what you say) to be no hives currently on site.

I think what I would do is give them a cost for a couple of colonies with hives, supers, queen excluders etc.and bees as a starting point (capital investment). Then, separately, give them a breakdown (but not a cost) of what you are prepared to do to manage these colonies viz: weekly visits/max 10 day visits from May to September include travel time and distance (it soon mounts up). Insist that there will have to be a secure storage container of some sort on site. Winter visits and a set number of adhoc 'unscheduled' attendances.

Include Varroa treatments and feeding.

Explain that the honey will require extraction and jarring up - include the time that it will take to do all this and explain that a crop cannot always be guaranteed and find out if they intend selling the honey in 1.5oz jars or 8oz/12oz and give them a likely cost for the jars, lids and bespoke labels.

By the time you've costed the capital equipment and consumables your time and remuneration is going to be what the market will bear. If they have not collapsed in shock at the start up and consumable costs of a small beekeeping enterprise then they won't collapse in horror at the cost of your involvement.

You then need to work out what your personal cost of involvement is ... add up all the hours and decide how much an hour you are worth. Include all the travel times, the extraction and jarring up time as well as the time you anctipate for inspections ... then add on a margin for buggeration, add in your travel costs and when you have picked yourself up off the floor, double it. Excel spreadsheets if you are up to it are your best friend....

What drops out of the bottom is your starting point - you can always negotiate but it's a lot easier to reduce your fees, in order to get or keep a deal, than it is to increase them. If the kit, livestock and the honey is all going to belong to them you have no security and all your income will come from fees.

You will need to agree what their plans are for expansion and how you will deal with the possibiity of bees swarming and whether the stock increase is theirs and if it is ... the cost of each additional hive and the additional costs you will face in managing the additional colonies. Give them a flat annual cost for your involvement - payment in four separate installments on the quarter days - or monthly if you prefer.

If you get it right at the outset it can be a useful income - get it wrong and either you will be out of pocket or your client will feel cheated. You are not going to get rich on it but there is an income available as long as your client understands that everything has a cost and the honey harvest may only go part way to covering the costs until they reach a certain size and the capital cost has been absorbed/amortised.

Good luck ... additional income is always welcome but treat it as a real business and do your sums properly - without guessing or finger in the air 'estimations'.
 
Well ... you've had all the negatives in the beeworld thrown at you so far ! Looking at the positives - it's a nice site and you've found a spot well away from any commercial activity, you have a few years of beekeeping experience so, hopefully, you have some idea of what you are doing, regardless of any BBKA qualifications (which are treated with scorn by some on here).

There appears (from what you say) to be no hives currently on site.

I think what I would do is give them a cost for a couple of colonies with hives, supers, queen excluders etc.and bees as a starting point (capital investment). Then, separately, give them a breakdown (but not a cost) of what you are prepared to do to manage these colonies viz: weekly visits/max 10 day visits from May to September include travel time and distance (it soon mounts up). Insist that there will have to be a secure storage container of some sort on site. Winter visits and a set number of adhoc 'unscheduled' attendances.

Include Varroa treatments and feeding.

Explain that the honey will require extraction and jarring up - include the time that it will take to do all this and explain that a crop cannot always be guaranteed and find out if they intend selling the honey in 1.5oz jars or 8oz/12oz and give them a likely cost for the jars, lids and bespoke labels.

By the time you've costed the capital equipment and consumables your time and remuneration is going to be what the market will bear. If they have not collapsed in shock at the start up and consumable costs of a small beekeeping enterprise then they won't collapse in horror at the cost of your involvement.

You then need to work out what your personal cost of involvement is ... add up all the hours and decide how much an hour you are worth. Include all the travel times, the extraction and jarring up time as well as the time you anctipate for inspections ... then add on a margin for buggeration, add in your travel costs and when you have picked yourself up off the floor, double it. Excel spreadsheets if you are up to it are your best friend....

What drops out of the bottom is your starting point - you can always negotiate but it's a lot easier to reduce your fees, in order to get or keep a deal, than it is to increase them. If the kit, livestock and the honey is all going to belong to them you have no security and all your income will come from fees.

You will need to agree what their plans are for expansion and how you will deal with the possibiity of bees swarming and whether the stock increase is theirs and if it is ... the cost of each additional hive and the additional costs you will face in managing the additional colonies. Give them a flat annual cost for your involvement - payment in four separate installments on the quarter days - or monthly if you prefer.

If you get it right at the outset it can be a useful income - get it wrong and either you will be out of pocket or your client will feel cheated. You are not going to get rich on it but there is an income available as long as your client understands that everything has a cost and the honey harvest may only go part way to covering the costs until they reach a certain size and the capital cost has been absorbed/amortised.

Good luck ... additional income is always welcome but treat it as a real business and do your sums properly - without guessing or finger in the air 'estimations'.
Sounds like great advice!
 
As regards costs a consultant in Medicine charges about £400 an hour ........... you would need a fair bit of honey to make that kind of cash
 
As regards costs a consultant in Medicine charges about £400 an hour ........... you would need a fair bit of honey to make that kind of cash
I wish!
I'm in a major shortage specialty & rates are nowhere near that!!!
 
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I have a few sites where I have been asked for some kind of hybrid arrangement. It is very hard to get the figures right for everyone.
The simplest is that you just treat it as another apiary and offer to sell them all the honey produced at a suitable price.
I provide personalised labels.
I obviously carry more risk but am happy and can cover winter losses etc.
 

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