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Author Topic: Busy busy busy!  (Read 16762 times)

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #40 on: March 13, 2011, 09:49:53 pm »
what time of day did you dump them-I Install at dusk_RDY-B

Offline asprince

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #41 on: March 13, 2011, 09:54:35 pm »
what time of day did you dump them-I Install at dusk_RDY-B

Mid afternoon.

Steve
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Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #42 on: March 13, 2011, 10:12:40 pm »
 I just checked whether for fort valley and they indicated over 70 thats perfect
 flying temps for the bees-for me when temps are that warm best to do it as sun sets
almost dark-when temps are low and bees arnt flying your time frame would have been fine
another thing i take into consideration is the length of time the bees have been in the package
if less than 2 days they will be flying aggressively -you can still straighten out the mess at night dont wait to long -switch frames about and equalizes the -if nesasary move the boxes by switching light for heavy population for the next couple days -i hope they left enough bees to keep the queen warm--RDY-B

Offline asprince

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #43 on: March 13, 2011, 10:20:59 pm »
The packages were shaken Friday and installed on Saturday. I think they needed more time before installation. We resplit them and took them to another location.

Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #44 on: March 13, 2011, 10:23:39 pm »
yep they must have been flying real good -hope the spilts hold -best of luck -RDY-B

Offline Countryboy

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #45 on: March 14, 2011, 01:35:46 am »
country-boy if i took all your beekeeping experience and stuck it up a nats ass it would be like a BB in a box car-RDY-B

Then why are you asking me to explain beekeeping stuff that you do not understand? 

There are people with 10 years of experience in 1 year, and there are people with 6 months experience 20 times over.

But what happens when the customer gets these bees?  This business person hands down has indicated that his interest is in profits not the bees.  So they will get worked to death.

They were bought by another businessman, whose interests are in profits.  Bees get worked to death regardless what hive they live in.

Chances are they will not survive overwintering.

The businessman buying the bees must have thought differently if he was willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars.  The businessman also accepted the risk that the bees would die, and he would lose that money.  The businessman also accepted the potential reward that the bees would live, he could take them south for overwintering and to split them, and he could send 2-4 semis of bees to almonds at $60K per semi.

Would you buy a truck that you know the contractor has beaten the crap out of it even if it was only a year old?


It depends on the price.  At the right price, of course I would buy it.  For the wrong price, I wouldn't buy it. 

Why did they drift and abandon the queen?

What was your temperature?  Was it warm enough for the bees to fly?

If it was very warm and the bees were flying, it helps to use a clean fruit tree sprayer to get the bees sticky as you dump them in.  By the time they get themselves cleaned up, they are less likely to fly to the next hive.  Just be careful not to spray the queen cage with syrup so you don't kill the queen.

How long had the packages been made up?  If the package hadn't been made very long, the bees might not have accepted the new queen yet, and they flew to the hive that smelled most like their old queen.

For only a few hives, you can dump them in in the evening, right when you can feel the air pressure drop.  Just don't drag your feet because you are almost at the witching hour - just before dark and the bees will tear you up.  Anyone who has ever worked a hive too late in the evening understands this.

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #46 on: March 14, 2011, 04:14:49 am »
Then why are you asking me to explain beekeeping stuff that you do not understand?  


  I always talk with the apprentices-while they still know everything-- ;) RDY-B

Offline yantabulla

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #47 on: March 14, 2011, 04:56:36 am »
Nice one Rdy-B :-D

Offline hankdog1

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #48 on: March 14, 2011, 08:39:20 am »
some years like this one the bees are busting at the seams coming out of almonds-
 another practice that proves profitable is to sell nucs from half your bees -make honey from the other half-
 Almonds are great for early build up-but out of state keepers take a risk but they keep coming every year -
 the keeper we where speaking of dosent migrate -he runs static yards for honey and depopulates the hives for winter
 and replenishes them with packages in the spring-if he brought them to cali for almonds it would be easy 60-80 thousand
 profit after shiping-but every one has a management program-the colonies that are up for sale every year are weak from AFB-infested hives limped along with antibiotics-and many other problems-lots of out of state keepers sell them off as not to pay the cost to ship them back-and this gives them a chance to refresh there operation with clean wooden ware and bees-is the name of the outfit you speak of BELL HONEY if so i was told those bees are sold--RDY-B
http://img842.imageshack.us/i/1000212w.jpg/
Risk on the almonds?  Most of those guys don't have a choice they are just trying to make a living the best way they know how.


60 to 80K a truck load who the heck have you been talking to that runs that profit?  After you factor in trucking feeding and a number of other factors those numbers don't hold up.
Take me to the land of milk and honey!!!

Offline Jim134

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #49 on: March 14, 2011, 09:20:52 am »

Steve............

Is this topic :?    How did at work out for you  :?

I have been busy for about a week cleaning up old boxes and painting. I have 20 2lb packages coming Friday. I am concerned with the package size. I have always purchased 3lb. packages. I will give each one four frames of drawn comb and they will be placed on canola that is just starting to bloom. Anyone else started 2lb packages?

Steve


:stayontopic:
 




    BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
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"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
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Offline Jim134

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #50 on: March 14, 2011, 10:26:30 am »
Steve............
 

   Will you keep us update on you'r bees and now it is going  :?
   I hope you do.


   BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #51 on: March 14, 2011, 06:43:00 pm »
some years like this one the bees are busting at the seams coming out of almonds-
 another practice that proves profitable is to sell nucs from half your bees -make honey from the other half-
 Almonds are great for early build up-but out of state keepers take a risk but they keep coming every year -
 the keeper we where speaking of dosent migrate -he runs static yards for honey and depopulates the hives for winter
 and replenishes them with packages in the spring-if he brought them to cali for almonds it would be easy 60-80 thousand
 profit after shiping-but every one has a management program-the colonies that are up for sale every year are weak from AFB-infested hives limped along with antibiotics-and many other problems-lots of out of state keepers sell them off as not to pay the cost to ship them back-and this gives them a chance to refresh there operation with clean wooden ware and bees-is the name of the outfit you speak of BELL HONEY if so i was told those bees are sold--RDY-B
http://img842.imageshack.us/i/1000212w.jpg/
Risk on the almonds?  Most of those guys don't have a choice they are just trying to make a living the best way they know how.


60 to 80K a truck load who the heck have you been talking to that runs that profit?  After you factor in trucking feeding and a number of other factors those numbers don't hold up.
thats not a truck load-thats figure 600-800 colinies-rent from $140-$155 per hive-if you dont profit$100
 after expenses of shiping then something went very wrong-- ;)  RDY-B

Offline hankdog1

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #52 on: March 14, 2011, 07:44:34 pm »
I'd say your right if you live there.  You were talking about trucking out of state different ball of wax all together.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #53 on: March 14, 2011, 09:46:13 pm »
I'd say your right if you live there.  You were talking about trucking out of state different ball of wax all together.
Not necessarily so, I know so local beekeepers who truck their bees one way.  They spend about $25.00 per hive in trucking a semi full of them to the Almond Orchards,  they then obtain $125-$200 per hive in pollenation fees.  After the Almonds are over they sell the hives to other commercial or hobby beekeepers for urwards of $150-$200 per hive.

Even if you subtract a 20% brokers fee they are still pocketing a good amount of cash for a minimum amount of effort.
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Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #54 on: March 14, 2011, 09:53:18 pm »
I'd say your right if you live there.  You were talking about trucking out of state different ball of wax all together.
give or take 500 to a load--give or take $7000 each way-thats $14000 to ship the bees
 rent  at $140 per hive -thats $70000-for the rental -subtract $14000 for shiping--gives you $56000
puts you at $112 per hive -it is doable easly-thats the big atraction theres money in it and like anything else
if it didnt pay it wouldnt get done-- 8-)  RDY-B

Offline Countryboy

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #55 on: March 15, 2011, 01:40:20 am »
I always talk with the apprentices-while they still know everything--

There is a difference between talking to apprentices and asking teachers to share their knowledge with you.  (They become a teacher because you ask them for knowledge.)  Show your teachers due respect, or they may decide you are an ill-mannered student who can suffer the consequences of their insolence.

thats not a truck load-thats figure 600-800 colinies-rent from $140-$155 per hive-if you dont profit$100
 after expenses of shiping then something went very wrong--


So how many colonies do YOU send to almonds, shipped in from out of state, and how much profit do you have?

$40K in feed, $20K in transport down south for the winter, to almonds, and then back to Ohio, 20% broker fee - right there you are under your $100 profit at $155 for 800 hives...

That's assuming you can get paid.  I talked to a guy a couple weeks ago who sent hives to almonds - he was supposed to get paid half when they went in, and the last half when they got pulled.  He was getting ready to go out and pull his bees because he hasn't seen the first check yet.

give or take 500 to a load

396 doubles to a semi.

give or take $7000 each way-thats $14000 to ship the bees

But you were talking about the beekeeper from Ohio who runs his colonies as singles for honey production.  If you want to go to almonds, you have to ship down south to feed them out for the winter, then another shipping fee to haul them to almonds, and then a 3rd shipping fee to get them back home.  That's $20K+ shipping.

rent  at $140 per hive -thats $70000-for the rental -subtract $14000 for shiping--gives you $56000
puts you at $112 per hive


Even using your theoretical numbers, you forgot the 20% broker fees - that's another $28 a hive on $140 pollination, dropping you down to $84 a hive.  And you still haven't bought any feed, patties, fumagillan, etc...

How many hives do you send to almond pollination again?

if it didnt pay it wouldnt get done

If it paid as good as you think it does, beekeepers from east of the Mississippi would have been sending bees for a long time.  As it is, they only began sending bees recently because the price finally got high enough for them to be able to make a reasonable profit.

Even if you subtract a 20% brokers fee they are still pocketing a good amount of cash for a minimum amount of effort.

So where do they get all their drawn comb to replace what is sold?  That's a hidden cost.

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #56 on: March 15, 2011, 01:48:10 am »
 Country-boy you are of a poisinos nature and are inflammatory in your posts
 you keep peeing on the camp fire -and you have peed on everyone else's camp fire
 your continuos axe grinding gets tiresome -RDY-B
« Last Edit: March 15, 2011, 03:20:35 am by rdy-b »

Offline Countryboy

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #57 on: March 15, 2011, 02:08:21 am »
Your continuous misinformation gets tiresome.

If dispelling unrealistic fantasies is peeing on a campfire, then I guess I am guilty of that.

Honesty really is the best policy.  If someone doesn't know what they are talking about, I would hope they have the wisdom to keep quiet.  It is better to appear an idiot, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.  When people don't know what they are talking about and they spread misinformation, they remove all doubt.

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #58 on: March 15, 2011, 03:18:36 am »

  Country-boy you are of a poisinos nature and are inflammatory in your posts
 you keep peeing on the camp fire -and you have peed on everyone else's camp fire
 your continuos axe grinding gets tiresome -RDY-B

Offline KD4MOJ

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Re: Busy busy busy!
« Reply #59 on: March 15, 2011, 10:55:40 am »
WOW! This sure has been an interesting thread!   :-D

...DOUG
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