Plan Bee - good scam!

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Probably been discussed before, but just found a flyer tucked into the National Botanic gargens magazine (pollinator special) Now, in my view that is one top scam - you pay me loads of cash and I'll put some bees on your land, and just to help you out - I'll take the honey away as well!

http://www.planbeeltd.com

 

[thenovice]

If they can find a fool that wants to pay £400 per hive per year I am sure some of the people on this forum will make sure there will be some healthy free market pressure on this company!

 

[psafloyd]

Our association still offers this service, but I don't think it is widely used and certainly isn't anything like £400 a hive.

 

[SireeDubs]

Adopt a worker bee for £1.50.
Dedicate a hive for £180 (one off payment). Though you don't get anything to show for it, save a brass plaque on said hive, it's surely a bargain. Based on a conservative estimate of 30,000 worker bees in a decent hive, you're saving £44,820 by buying this way.

Just sayin'.

 

[BrianO]

Adopt a worker bee for £1.50.
Dedicate a hive for £180 (one off payment). Though you don't get anything to show for it, save a brass plaque on said hive, it's surely a bargain. Based on a conservative estimate of 30,000 worker bees in a decent hive, you're saving £44,820 by buying this way.

I presume you get to see which bee is yours, most likely tagged elctronically , of course...

 

[REDWOOD]

Someone can adopt me for £400

 

[Russel]

Looks like some have fallen for it, hook, line and sinker!!!

Maybe BKA fundraisers should take a few notes??

 

[SireeDubs]

I presume you get to see which bee is yours, most likely tagged elctronically , of course...

There'll no doubt be some 'Find my Bee' iphone app, at a nominal extra cost...

 

[Dishmop]

Looks like some have fallen for it, hook, line and sinker!!!

Maybe BKA fundraisers should take a few notes??

They always do. Just like so many other things... no matter how many times you tell them..

 

[jd101k2000]

I'm sure we could set up something similar

 

[REDWOOD]

It's the donkeys in Egypt I feel sorry for.

 

[pargyle]

Got to hand it to him ... some clever marketing there ... He sells his 'Scottish Heritage Honey' for £8 a lb and people pay him to produce it ... some big names he has got to ! Claims to have 120 hives already sited and 170 more on the way.

http://www.extraenvironmentalist.com/2013/08/16/warren-bader-plan-bee/

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/warren-bader/44/368/b51

Only thing I don't get, at present, is how he can become more than a localised operation in central Scotland on the present business model ... Do I see a future Franchise Operation ???

 

[Itchy]

There is already another company doing it a s a franchise. Similar pricing.
I did a fag packet calc on when looking at doing this. Not much profit in running a hive for someone for £400/yr....honey or not.

 

[domino]

It's not a scam it seems to be a legitimate business. I put an advert up locally this year looking for a new site and a few people offered to pay me to manage hives in their back gardens.

If people want to pay for it good for him.

 

[pargyle]

There is already another company doing it a s a franchise. Similar pricing.
I did a fag packet calc on when looking at doing this. Not much profit in running a hive for someone for £400/yr....honey or not.

Depends on how many times you decide to inspect them and where they are sited in relation to your base, it's the travelling cost that would kill it ... but it also depends how productive the hives are and that's going to depend on a whole load of factors... I suppose that the £400 pays for the hive etc. for the first year and after that contributes to the bottom line. Giving back 25 jars of honey a year per hive is fine in a reasonable year but we all know that there are plenty of would be commercial beekeepers that live on (or mainly below !) the breadline.

There are previous threads on here about the viability of making a living keeping bees ... and most of them conclude that it's not a reliable occupation until you reach a significant size of operation.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm sure we could set up something similar

Get in the queue

It's the donkeys in Egypt I feel sorry for.

More worried about the ones in Westminster

Not much profit in running a hive for someone for £400/yr....honey or not.

No, but if the owners of my two out apiaries offered to pay me £400 per hive to keep them here in exchange for a few jars of honey..........................
Think of the average bee farmer who hopes people will allow him to put his hives on their land for nothing can you imagine the difference if he was being paid £400.00 to keep them there - say 300 hives. need a bigger fag packet to work that one out!

 

[SILVERSALMON]

Plan Bee Scam

This man is alleged to have introduced Varroa into areas previously free from the little bugger. His hives swarm constantly and from Lanarkshire he claims to be able to monitor hives in Cornwall!! Having a laugh at the bees expense

 

[madasafish]

Someone can adopt me for £400

I doubt you are worth 400p

 

[thorn]

As from now my honey will no longer be sold under the title " The Headingley Hives" but "The Headingley Heritage Hives".

 

[sipa]

As well as many businesses there are a lot of wealthy, busy people who, for one reason or another would like to have bees on their property.

They neither have the time, energy or inclination to manage the bees themselves and are happy to let someone else do it and pay for the privilege of being able to say that they have bees and maybe give a few jars of THEIR honey to friends and family.

Have been approached by several people to do exactly this, sadly just don't have the time.

Seems like a cracking little business.