Interested in having your own personal, expert online beekeeping mentor with access to exclusive advert free videos and priority replies to comments? Join the BMH bee mentoring programme HERE - www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/beementoring
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!
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.
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
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? 🤔
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 🤣🤣
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
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
![fellow fellow - พรุ่งนี้ไม่มีใครรู้ feat. INK WARUNTORN [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP6JyjYx_W0/mqdefault.jpg)
Interested in having your own personal, expert online beekeeping mentor with access to exclusive advert free videos and priority replies to comments? Join the BMH bee mentoring programme HERE - www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/beementoring
I would love to become a commercial bee keeper! I’ll get there one day.
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.
Don't chase your losses. Great advice.
Realy enjoy your vids, lives up to it's name, no BS...all the way from Trinidad, in the Caribbean...cheers!
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!
This has been incredibly handy! If you make a followup video it would be most appreciated.
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.
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
Absolutely spot on, great words, great advice.
Great eye opener, didnt think like that but now I will view it in a diffrenet way and implement it.
Thanks for the information I love honeybees I’m also a beekeeper!
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? 🤔
Really interesting thank you Lawrence .. looking to slowly expand in that direction. one question though what happened to No.9??🤔🙂
Great video I hope to get to a larger stage one day currently working on a base of operations to work from
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 🤣🤣
Great advice on this topic 👏
Good Advice!
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
Thanks for the info
Okay what is the time window to inspect a hive for a commercial beekeeper. What do you think the goal is?
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?
exellent video Laurence
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.
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 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!
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.
If you have 500 hives, how do you go about inspecting 50 hives a day over 7 days during swarm season?
Employ people
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.
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.
Farming is very much like professional gambling,all down to the weather.
👍🏼😎
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.
Oh don't tempt us hobby beekeepers like that!