People wanting free honey

[Headnavigator]

Only exception to my 'No free honey' intention is one for the Postman at Christmas.

 

[jallen]

there's always triyng to get somthing for free

 

[merylvingien]

I dont understand the thinking here!!!
WHY bother coming up with excuses?
Just be rude like me, and tell them to get the cash out or piss off

 

[MuswellMetro]

If you don't want to give any jars to someone tell them the crazy weather left the bees starving and you got hardly any crop this year!

you stolen the line i am telling everyone ,

i have mates rate £3:50 per lb and retail rate £5

I always say how expensive it is and really it costs ~£20 per lb if i take into account the cost of the hives and my time and that i will never even break even

 

[xgeordie]

I dont understand the thinking here!!!
WHY bother coming up with excuses?
Just be rude like me, and tell them to get the cash out or piss off

Right!...and give these wastrels a slapping for good measure

 

[chickendave]

Only exception to my 'No free honey' intention is one for the Postman at Christmas.

And the bin men to its surprising what they will take away after the bribe of a jar of honey or two at christmas

 

[merylvingien]

Right!...and give these wastrels a slapping for good measure

Too bloody right, scrounging no good lay abouts... If they want honey, tell em to go and get their own bloody bees... Phhhhh!!!!!

 

[Swarm]

i give a few jars to the farmer and some farm workers who help me and keep a eye on the hives, 18 to the farmer, and 6 each to the workers ( 2) once they run out they ask to buy some, but i do it at mate rates.
When one of the workers done some welding on my trailer, i asked what i owed him, thinking of money, and he asked for a jar of honey, so i gave him two.
The rest i sell via shops or mates rates to friends.

Spot on! The way life works best.

 

[aberreef]

I've given some to close family but as for everyone else they can pay. The bees have cost me about £2000 so far and I refuse to give my honey away so there

 

[buzz bee]

Same thing for me, absolutely everyones asks. I just keep saying that there might not be much. I think the small jars idea is good, that way they all get to taste without giving too much away and can then buy a full jar if they want it. Must get some.

 

[BBG]

I didn't forsee this being such a problem! so many people assume that just because they know me well(ish) they expect to get some honey free when it gets bottled! A lot of people are going to be muttering under their breath I think.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Ex-wife used to say the amount of people calling at home farm was due to my free home brew.

Rubbish says I!

I stopped brewing they mostly stopped coming with a couple of occasionals still visit.

It's like children, stop feeding them and they'll stop coming too.

Then you have your life back !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I must be fairly lucky then -even though I've had no honey as yet, quite a few people have shown an interest in my first crop (Apart from a few friends who have helped me with hive building and close family - I don't expect them to pay) every other one has said something akin to:when you get any honey - put me down for a few jars - I'm not expecting a freebie I have to buy it all the time so I'd prefer it from someone I know.
Being a soft sod I'll probably give quite a few away but fortunately : as they like honey I'm also fairly partial to a bit of hard cash

 

[Norton]

Yes when you are a beekeeper everyone expects a free bottle of honey. For them it just a pound of honey, but when you give away dozens, then the beekeeper is loosing a lot of income.
My wife used to give lots of honey away to her extended family (they number something in the hundreds) and when I complained about this I was told that this was all the honey the she didn't eat! She works in a large company as a front office manager.
Dire situations need immediate and positive action, so I talked her into coming to help me one day with taking off supers. Along she came, got suited up all nice and tight and then I put the backpack blower on her shoulders and she had to blow the bees out of the supers. Now, she is only a petite girl and the blower was just below her limit of endurance. When we got home and off-loaded all the full supers into the extracting building, she said that she never realised that beekeeping was such hard work and that she was never goping to give another jar of honey away to anyone. All this was over 20 years ago and she has kept her promise!

 

[Tim1606]

I give a jar away whenever I pick up a swarm.


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[rae]

1. No honey unless I have slept with you before -

Or the alternative, no honey unless you sleep with me....

We give away quite a bit as presents, but there is method in the madness. Rather than loading up on a decent bottle of wine when going out, we take honey. People appreciate it more, and it saves a fortune.

 

[Winker]

Immediate neighbours (Even the one who has stopped talking to me as we now keep bees), Land lord that have a have a few hive with and that’s it.

Im Scottish and tight fisted is my excuse, most people laugh and either pay up, or laugh and call me a tight git.

 

[Luminos]

Kaz, why not give them an empty jar, point them in the direction of the hive and say, "sure, help yourself, go right ahead..."

 

[drstitson]

"say, "sure, help yourself, go right ahead..."

she's been through that - took frame of brood and queen rather than frame of honey!!!!

 

[kazmcc]

"say, "sure, help yourself, go right ahead..."

she's been through that - took frame of brood and queen rather than frame of honey!!!!

* shudders at the thought *

LOL, we are a tight fisted bunch. I think it's the mark of a good beekeeper. Grumpiness and tightfistedness lol....all qualities I admire btw

Most of the families who attend the school are professional types, and even if I gave it to them, they'd want to contribute, but there is a core group who always try and get things for nowt. We are the only people in the area who will be selling honey, and with one hive I don't think I'll be able to keep up with demand!

Btw, how many 1lb jars do you get from one full national super?

 

[victor meldrew]

* shudders at the thought *

LOL, we are a tight fisted bunch. I think it's the mark of a good beekeeper. Grumpiness and tightfistedness lol....all qualities I admire btw

Most of the families who attend the school are professional types, and even if I gave it to them, they'd want to contribute, but there is a core group who always try and get things for nowt. We are the only people in the area who will be selling honey, and with one hive I don't think I'll be able to keep up with demand!

Btw, how many 1lb jars do you get from one full national super?

Approx 25

VM