Author Topic: Rental fee per hive (Read 5157 times)

CapeCod · « **on:** January 24, 2008, 04:19:31 pm »

What is the average rental fee or contract fee for hives,,,oooo say (1 Acre of apple trees)

Bennettoid · « **Reply #1 on:** January 24, 2008, 04:45:27 pm »

I havn't ever rented to anyone, but I believe around here on cucumbers they get about a 100 dollars a week per hive.

pdmattox · « **Reply #2 on:** January 24, 2008, 08:44:44 pm »

Here in Florida we get 40-50 dollars a hive for 4-6 weeks. That would be for melons,cucumbers and squash. When we go to the orange groves we usaly have to pay the land owner a case of honey for the use of the location.

NWIN Beekeeper · « **Reply #3 on:** January 24, 2008, 09:39:57 pm »

[...we usaly have to pay the land owner a case of honey...]

WOW! This means that Dallas makes HONEY and SWARMS !!
Sounds like he is diversifying ! :-D

Then again, maybe he just buys the honey from someone else...

Maybe Dallas just raises SWARMS...

Angi_H · « **Reply #4 on:** January 25, 2008, 02:55:28 am »

Well I was just looking and in California for Almond this year it will be about $122.50 a hive. Avg for the west coast this year will be $74.54 with a range of $41.00 low to $122.50 high. The book says in your area it will be $48.43

HTH

Angi

BMAC · « **Reply #5 on:** January 25, 2008, 10:44:06 am »

Angi, I believe the $122.50 per colony for almonds is a bit low. That was the price last year. I believe this season (which is about to start) will be more like $160.00 for the brokers that give the beekeeper a little extra for overwhelming colony strength and ave of $140.00 for a good colony from most of the brokers. Less of course you are the broker. Hmm. That is interesting.

Around here apples only bring in about $40.00 per colony for the duration of the apple blossoms.

KONASDAD · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2008, 11:07:54 am »

The fees for almonds is going higher. So high, the biggest commercial beek here in NJ is in Florida right now preparing two truck loads for california as we speak. W/ cost of gas, I imagine he is getting a lot per hive. I asked but wife wouldn't tell me the cost per hive. Those bees will be so stressed by the time they get there. Yikes! Probably screened at least four days at minimum, weather changing hourly. Cant imagine the poor soul who has to open them up for the first time. He better be a fast runner.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2008, 07:14:50 pm »

IMO anything less than $50 isn't worth moving the hives for.

Angi_H · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2008, 02:05:59 am »

I got this from a friend of mine where I am getting some supplies and an extractor who is helping me get into them. That is the prices there Bee Club told them. So who knows really. If it is that high theN darn I need to get into Almond Pollination. The price on the package bees went up 10.00 for a 4lb package this year.

Angi

metzelplex · « **Reply #9 on:** January 27, 2008, 02:03:01 am »

I got 150.00 per hive for 8 to 10 frames of bees this year some guys are getting 175.00 or more but they shake bees and fill their boxes plumb full of bees I dont have the extra bees to shake so I don't get top dollar last year I only got 100.00 and the average was 150.00 I'm in northern california and the almonds are my only paying crop the rest of the year I spend trying to find a honey flow so I don't have to feed so much. Metzelplex

rdy-b · « **Reply #10 on:** January 27, 2008, 02:23:52 am »

we havent seen those figures this year $175 no grower will pay use over $160-so we equalize 8-) basic split -6-10 frames-$140-the fray hasnt started yet wait for the underbiding to start -we wont set for two more weeks-RDY-B

metzelplex · « **Reply #11 on:** January 29, 2008, 02:10:28 am »

you might be right rdy-b growers won't pay huge prices when everybody and their brother shows up with cheap bees .But ,what is the quality of the bees that they are getting ?Last year I saw some hives being checked and bees were boiling out the top. If the weather had been warm I'm sure they would have swarmed in a second. I talked to one of the mexican workers there and told him that I wish my bees looked that good .he told me that they shook alot of extra bees because they figured that they would lose a bunch getting there but they moved 300 boxes and never lost any. Was he lying to me about shaking bees ?I don't know but those bees looked really good. The almond grower that I work with only pays by the frame not by the box he used to have bees himself so he isn't afraid of getting stung and when he looks in a hive he knows what he is looking at. Last year my boxes only averaged 8 frames of bees per hive and I got 12.50 per frame this year I got 15.00 per frame and I averaged 10 frames of bees per hive my biggest hive had a full 18 frames of bees and my weakest only had 5 now yes I realize that comercial guys with hundreds or thousands of bee hives can't go to a grower and say hey pay me by the frame without getting laughed at but for a small sideline bee keeper like myself I think that going to the smaller growers and making you're own deal is the only way to go, besides I think most of the big growers only use bee brokers .The only down side to my way of doing stuff is that some times growers can be slow to pay but so far I have'nt had any problems . metzelplex

Angi_H · « **Reply #12 on:** January 29, 2008, 02:24:10 am »

NOw those fees I always get confused is it a weekly price monthly price or for the whole bloom?

Angi

rdy-b · « **Reply #13 on:** January 29, 2008, 05:07:05 pm »

yes metzelplex i agree with your strategy staying away from the corporate giants is a very smart move ;) sounds like the man you spoke to in the field has more bees than he needed -we never shake out bees for increasing hive strength -we remove empty frames and replace with frames of bees and brood it is very important to have brood in there so they will forage harder and ill bet the man who rents your bees -that you say has keep bees already knows that 8-) Angi- the fee covers the whole bloom period -basically six weeks RDY-B

KONASDAD · « **Reply #14 on:** January 29, 2008, 05:19:00 pm »

Quote from: Angi_H on January 29, 2008, 02:24:10 am

NOw those fees I always get confused is it a weekly price monthly price or for the whole bloom?

Angi

Its a contract-negotiate your own deal. The farmer wants the whole bloom period which is diff for each type of plant. Be aware some crops can hurt your bees as some criops dont provide enough food. Cranberries near me are that way. Bees become weak after cranberry pollination. Need lots of feed after this crop.

pdmattox · « **Reply #15 on:** January 29, 2008, 07:11:46 pm »

I helped get a load of bees ready and we only had to have 5 frames of brood and 6 frames of bees on a eight frame box with a shallow super on top with some honey. I believe he got after broker fees just a couple dollars shy of 150 a box. Not all his were up to strength so we move frames of brood and made nucs out of the left overs. We shook some bees into the the ones going to california. We loaded two semi's this past saturday so they should be there soon if not already there.

rdy-b · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2008, 10:04:17 pm »

you guys ever have any difficulty with the inspection stations in route -always hear horror stories about loads delayed or turned around -I trust you didn't bring in any of those pesky small hive beetle- :-D dont answer that i know your bees are good -RDY-B 8-)

pdmattox · « **Reply #17 on:** January 29, 2008, 11:13:07 pm »

No problems the last two years of shipping to cali. we had a state inspector on scene before and during loading that certifies the load as being ant free and another certificate to ensure pest free. the ones that get turned around or have thier loads rejected in my opinon did not prepare for the trip.

metzelplex · « **Reply #18 on:** January 30, 2008, 12:45:52 am »

pdmattox how many hives can you fit on two semis also your location says your from lake city florida is it true that beekeepers in places that have africanized bees in there area requeen more often to keep the phermone level higher? does it make a difference? metzelplex

pdmattox · « **Reply #19 on:** January 30, 2008, 12:50:58 am »

I think 540 is a full load on the semi. One load was just shy of that because of low numbers and that was all that was strong enough to ship. I haven't heard of requeening just to keep the phemone level higher. most requeen every other year unless practicing BMP's recomended by the state. I am still north of the ahb zone which was at the I 4 corridor. There is mostly just ahb hybirds and not true ahb's.