Top Tips for Saving Money in this fairly Expensive Hobby ??

[Finman]

+1


Leave some honey for bees to winter on -saving feeding costs.

..

10 kg honey is £ 6/kg.....£60
10 kg sugar is.................£ 5

Losses £55

 

[Finman]

.
Frames in one hive, 50 frames. Bought £50.
Self made ?


Table saw £ 100

Prices of hive parts in UK are terribly high

 

[Pete D]

Seems to me that many old and established beekeepers have the answer to this.........don't spend any !


Trade wax in for foundation, not as cheap as just a strip though.

Don't buy expensive second hand firewood hives from e bay !

 

[For want of a better word]

Take up being a registered swarm collector and charge for every callout (£20) whether honey or bumbles or wasps or nothing.


Do not charge.... ask for a DONATION towards your petrol... explain that you GIVE the bees away or USE them in a breeding programme..... bet you will get more than a measly pony! (£20)
AND do not ask for a drink... all you will probably get a cup of that weak Yorkshire tea that is virtually undrinkable... prefer PG Tips meself!!!

Mytten da

 

[Finman]

Seems to me that many old and established beekeepers have the answer to this.........don't spend any !


Trade wax in for foundation, not as cheap as just a strip though.

!

That strip is the most expencive way.

Langstroth box of foundations has 1 kg wax. If the colony makes its own wax, it consumes 6-8 kg honey for its own wax. So "foundation" cost is then about £40/kg.

I take my old wax to foundation seller and I get new foundations with price £3/kg. Otherwise foundations are here £9/kg.

 

[mbc]

When costing things out by far the biggest slippage comes with winter losses.
Keep your bees alive and well and they will easily pay for their upkeep and more, start losing a high proportion and it becomes very expensive.

 

[mbc]

Also, save your wax, make your own foundation, buy cheap frames in large quantities, go to auctions and look out for kit in free ads, local rag etc.
I've been keeping bees for over twenty years now and started on a shoestring and have only ever reinvested honey sale's earnings to expand. Much of my early equipment was second (or third or fourth!) hand, given a thorough wash and a touch of repair here and there it was perfectly servicable and it's only now some of the ropeier stuff is being cycled out.
Floors, crown boards and roofs are all easily made at home, I was shocked to see roofs advertised at £40, does anybody pay that?

 

[For want of a better word]

Also, save your wax, make your own foundation, buy cheap frames in large quantities, go to auctions and look out for kit in free ads, local rag etc.
I've been keeping bees for over twenty years now and started on a shoestring and have only ever reinvested honey sale's earnings to expand. Much of my early equipment was second (or third or fourth!) hand, given a thorough wash and a touch of repair here and there it was perfectly servicable and it's only now some of the ropeier stuff is being cycled out.
Floors, crown boards and roofs are all easily made at home, I was shocked to see roofs advertised at £40, does anybody pay that?

I have a dozen hives with full colonies happily living in 1943-1947 beehives... solid mahogany... all dovetailed joints... made by a chap in Hayle MTB yard during WW2... have converted them all to OMF at the cost of a bit of SS mesh.
Downside is they are a tad heavy!

Saved from a bonfire!!!

Yeghes da

 

[madasafish]

Take up being a registered swarm collector and charge for every callout (£20) whether honey or bumbles or wasps or nothing.


Do not charge.... ask for a DONATION towards your petrol... explain that you GIVE the bees away or USE them in a breeding programme..... bet you will get more than a measly pony! (£20)
AND do not ask for a drink... all you will probably get a cup of that weak Yorkshire tea that is virtually undrinkable... prefer PG Tips meself!!!

Mytten da

I don't ASK.

When contacted I SAY there is a charge. At that point, a few give up. I do not want or need the hassle of dealing with skinflints .
At one house, the owner - who had agreed on the phone - started to quibble before I had started. He said "I can do it myself".. I said "Good, do so" and walked away.

 

[stubee]

don't buy any thing to burn in smokers

 

[Finman]

don't buy any thing to burn in smokers

That is good!

 

[dpearce4]

don't exchange wax. sell it at £1 per 25g block that is £40 you don't get £40 worth of wax in exchange for 1kg swapped.

 

[Hivemaker.]

don't exchange wax. sell it at £1 per 25g block

Who is buying 25g blocks in bulk at that price?

 

[dpearce4]

No one HM but the OP is a hobbyist so wont be producing that much wax. Mind you I sell 20+ each market, plus polish, plus candles. don't have enough for exchange after that and I get a much better price. Also with KBS the wax exchange is off full price not discounted and the discounts I get for the amount I buy out way it totally.

 

[Jimmy]

Invest in good quality queens.

 

[hallshoney]

Join your local association many will hire equipment and may also have a library plus membership gets a discount with a lot of the big suppliers

 

[pargyle]

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube or read on the internet ... some of the advice offered will cost you your bees not save you money.

 

[Obee1]

At the end of a job builders throw loads of surplus to requirements materials in the skip. Especially on large projects. If you ask the site foreman in advance they will often let you have stuff - even putting it aside for you. I had 4 full size sheets of brand new insulation last week. Could have had even more but the car was too full. Also had hundreds of pounds worth of beautiful new wood last year. Skippy dipping doesn't work as well as you have to be there at just the right moment. Befriending the foreman is well worth the effort. Often if you mention it is for the bees they are fascinated and keen to help. i gave my insulation donating guy a jar of honey and he was thrilled.

 

[Finman]

At the end of a job builders throw loads of surplus to requirements materials in the skip. Especially on large projects. If you ask the site foreman in advance they will often let you have stuff - even putting it aside for you. I had 4 full size sheets of brand new insulation last week. Could have had even more but the car was too full. Also had hundreds of pounds worth of beautiful new wood last year. Skippy dipping doesn't work as well as you have to be there at just the right moment. Befriending the foreman is well worth the effort. Often if you mention it is for the bees they are fascinated and keen to help. i gave my insulation donating guy a jar of honey and he was thrilled.

That is what I do in Capital city
.

 

[froggy]

keep using this Forum,,,,,brilliant,,,,,,,,,most of the time !