Free Bees :)

[Haddon]

I am thinking of giving away a nuc for every hive I remove this year.
How it would work if I remove a hive this year and it survives winter next year I will give away a nuc to a new beekeeper in my removals area. Sort of a deterrent to guys doing removals for free and it helps new beekeepers and keeps hives from dieing from new guys botching up bee removals not saying I don't botch them up too.

I have one to do tonight when it rain it pours. I have another on saturday exposed hive my first and a apartment complex call me today but I didn't have time to talk so I told them I would call tomorrow and I still have to try and get the trapout going sometime this weekend.

Anyway what do yall think about the Free Bees idea.

[AliciaH]

I love your altruism!  But I think you'll be giving away a lot of nucs and there will still be folks out there looking for free bees. 

Or, do you mean that you'll advertise a free nuc away for someone finding swarms for you, like a "finders fee"?  That might make someone think twice of catching it themselves vs. calling you.

[David McLeod]

You'll never stop the "free" guys. I give away pest control and the PCOs never give back. I couldn't begin to count the number of squirrel and rodent jobs I come behind those guys.

[lenape13]

I do all of my removals for free.  Better that than the bees be killed.  In my area, people do not have the money to pay for removals.  Most are living from paycheck to paycheck and unemployment is high.  Many times they will offer a small donation for gas, which I will accept, but I don't ask for it.  I enjoy the work and I figure it saves me from buying a package.  These bees have been my best producers, far greater than the packages I've used over the years.  Not all gain is measured monetarily.

As for your plan, it sounds like a good one.  It could help new beeks expand their apiaries, plus add a little diversity to their gene pools.  I work with a couple of other beeks in my area, swapping queens raised from our removed colonies for the purpose of genetics.  It has been a great success so far.

[Beaver Dam]

My calls from the nw part of Ft Worth this year is down 75% from last year. Been feeding my hives for months now. What say ya'll?

[Dave360]

1st year doing removals so dont know how many is usual but did 10 this year last one sept 1st had no stores and i think would not have made it tru winter unless we get major fall flow which I doubt

Dave