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I was at about 150 last year and should be around 200 at the end of this season and still work full-time up till now. it's incredibly hard work even in winter with jarring and delivery. This season will be first I will be working three day week and my usual job and 4 with the bees.
Hi Lawrence, I’m happy being a hobby beekeeper, 10 years ago I started with 2 nucs second year with splits and swarm catches I had 12 hives year 3 multiple again and I’ve got 20 hives , equipment and enough time in the day and the cost aspect I’m happy with my 20 colonies I don’t won’t to get any bigger. Hobby for sure.
Hi. I have 14 colony's at present, I'm retiring 1st April and going up to 30, not quite a bee farmer, but I think 30 is enough for me. Thanks again. Chris
All good points well put. I was always more interested in the commercial than the hobby side and I think that was down to having run my own small company most of my life and also being involved with the family business. It comes down to the old quote namely are you a beekeeper or are the bees keeping you? Because if the bees don't support you why are you doing this? All good fun!
Thank you fo the great information as it is just what i needed to help me understand the differences i need to pay attention to in order to be successful as i go to a commercial size operation
Such valuable information. I have just started working for a small company. They are looking at contracting work for a larger commercial operation. And have asked me if I would be interested in the work. It requires travel and 12 hour days on a 2 to 3 weekly rotation. Any advice on calculating my rates would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great content.
I am staying with the hobby route! I feel as if any one that does commercial, then they loose that connection with the hives! For example as a hobbyist you understand every step of a beehive and how it grows over a year or multiply years! But with commercial I feel as if they don’t have time and treat everything the same ! Basically I don’t think there’s any enjoyment! Only enjoyment they find is the pay check! Happy to be corrected!!
Love this video Laurence. I know it sounds strange, but your advice has put me off commercial beekeeping. I work in an industry where a lot of hobbyists tell me my job is there dream job. But there is a big difference between part time/weekend and making a living out of it. Thank you, Jamie.
Exactly this! Keeping hives as a hobby versus running them a business couldn't be more different. Its a fulfilling (part time) job but a hard old slog. What's your job BTW? 🤔
Ha! Glad I jumped the gun and went for 630 as opposed to the normal 7pm. Yours will probably be better as per the last time we did this on dead bees! LOL :D
I just realized that my Vris is your Heather.. have a couple of islands here cover with it. It's my fall flow.. now I know why it has such a good price..When it comes from an under develop clean island. Yeah, in beekeeping everything takes two years. I agree with all your points. Don't go in a money debt situation with something that depends on the weather
I stoped commercial beekeeping in 89 or 90s , I am in Germany when the Berlin wall fell in 1989 the honey price went down from 10-12 marks aKG to 0,23 pf thats like from £10 aKg to 23pence but I was sitting on like 6-8 tons ayear so it was not viable any more I was lucky as I was selling 300-400 queens and about 100 nuks ayear so it was ok but with 140 hives its alot of work as a side linner I was still doing afull days work so only time for bees after work or weekends So i sold my hives for good price because of Varo problems now I am teaching two of my sons how to keep bees and building up again All hives are very strong this sping and will hopefuly sendind at least 50 Queens to the north German Ilands this year for pur breed Carnica
I had 15 colonies but that 3:10 was too much work. I'm retired and do beescas something to do and earn extra money . I sold 3 colonies and gave 2 to a new member in our bee club.
Really interesting video thank you. What are your thoughts about recombining a drone laying colony with another colony instead of just shaking then out? Thanks.
Loved the details in your video 👍 but also just loved watching your bees 🐝🐝🐝🐝 I sometimes get up to about 13 hives, with main colonies and splits, and that is just NO FUN 😳 so I don’t think commercial beekeeping is for me 🤣🤣
Love the videos man! I’d love to see that video on how you do a 5 minute inspection! Liked and subscribed, so there’s my vote. Keep it up man! Very informative.
I am flat out hobbie keeper but I loved this video!! It puts things in perspective.. I can say I do like to emulate the commercial beekeepers in only geting practical components and or making my own components. Great well thought out food for thought advice!! Thank you!
Its not so much how many as opposed to what youre using them for. Are you utilizing your bees for lease as pollinators or selling bees at the beginning of the season? These are two big ones that really seperate hobbyists from commercial
And build your bees and borrow on equipment if you have too. You can always resell the equipment but if your bees all die you have lost it all. Your skill set has to grow along with the growth of your hives.
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I was at about 150 last year and should be around 200 at the end of this season and still work full-time up till now. it's incredibly hard work even in winter with jarring and delivery. This season will be first I will be working three day week and my usual job and 4 with the bees.
I would love to become a commercial bee keeper! I’ll get there one day.
Don't chase your losses. Great advice.
Hi Lawrence, I’m happy being a hobby beekeeper, 10 years ago I started with 2 nucs second year with splits and swarm catches I had 12 hives year 3 multiple again and I’ve got 20 hives , equipment and enough time in the day and the cost aspect I’m happy with my 20 colonies I don’t won’t to get any bigger. Hobby for sure.
Hi.
I have 14 colony's at present, I'm retiring 1st April and going up to 30, not quite a bee farmer, but I think 30 is enough for me. Thanks again. Chris
Realy enjoy your vids, lives up to it's name, no BS...all the way from Trinidad, in the Caribbean...cheers!
All good points well put. I was always more interested in the commercial than the hobby side and I think that was down to having run my own small company most of my life and also being involved with the family business. It comes down to the old quote namely are you a beekeeper or are the bees keeping you? Because if the bees don't support you why are you doing this? All good fun!
This has been incredibly handy! If you make a followup video it would be most appreciated.
Thank you fo the great information as it is just what i needed to help me understand the differences i need to pay attention to in order to be successful as i go to a commercial size operation
Great eye opener, didnt think like that but now I will view it in a diffrenet way and implement it.
Such valuable information.
I have just started working for a small company.
They are looking at contracting work for a larger commercial operation.
And have asked me if I would be interested in the work.
It requires travel and 12 hour days on a 2 to 3 weekly rotation.
Any advice on calculating my rates would be greatly appreciated.
Keep up the great content.
Absolutely spot on, great words, great advice.
Thanks for the information I love honeybees I’m also a beekeeper!
Great advice on this topic 👏
I am staying with the hobby route! I feel as if any one that does commercial, then they loose that connection with the hives! For example as a hobbyist you understand every step of a beehive and how it grows over a year or multiply years! But with commercial I feel as if they don’t have time and treat everything the same ! Basically I don’t think there’s any enjoyment! Only enjoyment they find is the pay check! Happy to be corrected!!
Love this video Laurence. I know it sounds strange, but your advice has put me off commercial beekeeping. I work in an industry where a lot of hobbyists tell me my job is there dream job. But there is a big difference between part time/weekend and making a living out of it.
Thank you, Jamie.
Exactly this! Keeping hives as a hobby versus running them a business couldn't be more different. Its a fulfilling (part time) job but a hard old slog. What's your job BTW? 🤔
Great video I hope to get to a larger stage one day currently working on a base of operations to work from
How spooky….I’ve got almost the exact same video going out within the hour! 😅
😂
Ha! Glad I jumped the gun and went for 630 as opposed to the normal 7pm. Yours will probably be better as per the last time we did this on dead bees! LOL :D
@@BlackMountainHoney I don’t know about that.
Just finished watching your video. Covered a lot of the same topics but equally different too! 😊👍🏻
@@gwenyngruffydd We can discuss on our chat next week.. I'm waiting patiently for you to post yours to see what I missed! 😀
I just realized that my Vris is your Heather.. have a couple of islands here cover with it. It's my fall flow.. now I know why it has such a good price..When it comes from an under develop clean island.
Yeah, in beekeeping everything takes two years. I agree with all your points. Don't go in a money debt situation with something that depends on the weather
Good Advice!
Okay what is the time window to inspect a hive for a commercial beekeeper. What do you think the goal is?
exellent video Laurence
Really interesting thank you Lawrence .. looking to slowly expand in that direction. one question though what happened to No.9??🤔🙂
I stoped commercial beekeeping in 89 or 90s , I am in Germany when the Berlin wall fell in 1989 the honey price went down from 10-12 marks aKG to 0,23 pf thats like
from £10 aKg to 23pence but I was sitting on like 6-8 tons ayear
so it was not viable any more I was lucky as I was selling 300-400 queens and about 100 nuks ayear so it was ok but with 140 hives its alot of work as a side linner
I was still doing afull days work so only time for bees after work or weekends
So i sold my hives for good price because of Varo problems now I am teaching two of my sons how to keep bees and building up again
All hives are very strong this sping and will hopefuly sendind at least 50 Queens to the north German Ilands this year for pur breed Carnica
Do you think beekeeping is still anprofitable in germany or did it change for the better?
Thanks for the info
I had 15 colonies but that 3:10 was too much work. I'm retired and do beescas something to do and earn extra money . I sold 3 colonies and gave 2 to a new member in our bee club.
Really interesting video thank you. What are your thoughts about recombining a drone laying colony with another colony instead of just shaking then out? Thanks.
Drone laying colony is gone you can't do anything about it
I liked number 9, attention to detail.
ha! But can you guess what the real number 9 was that was cut out 😉
@@BlackMountainHoney Great videos Lawrence, just letting you know that I watch carefully and hang on to your every word.
Loved the details in your video 👍 but also just loved watching your bees 🐝🐝🐝🐝 I sometimes get up to about 13 hives, with main colonies and splits, and that is just NO FUN 😳 so I don’t think commercial beekeeping is for me 🤣🤣
If you have 500 hives, how do you go about inspecting 50 hives a day over 7 days during swarm season?
Employ people
Love the videos man! I’d love to see that video on how you do a 5 minute inspection! Liked and subscribed, so there’s my vote. Keep it up man! Very informative.
I am flat out hobbie keeper but I loved this video!! It puts things in perspective.. I can say I do like to emulate the commercial beekeepers in only geting practical components and or making my own components. Great well thought out food for thought advice!! Thank you!
I’m a beekeeper, not a honey producer, is there a difference? Btw I sell my honey for 25€ a kilo
How many colonies separate a hobby beekeeper from a commercial?
Its not so much how many as opposed to what youre using them for. Are you utilizing your bees for lease as pollinators or selling bees at the beginning of the season? These are two big ones that really seperate hobbyists from commercial
As Bob Binnie says increase by 33% each time and you won't go wrong.
And build your bees and borrow on equipment if you have too. You can always resell the equipment but if your bees all die you have lost it all. Your skill set has to grow along with the growth of your hives.
Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.
But when you own your own business the pressures of paying bills will suck any joy out of you. Just my opinion.
👍🏼😎
Farming is very much like professional gambling,all down to the weather.
Oh don't tempt us hobby beekeepers like that!