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Author Topic: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry  (Read 3781 times)

Offline steveouk

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Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« on: January 20, 2008, 11:11:05 pm »
Perhaps a few people could help me. My Wife is studying Business Studies and is currently writing a paper on the beekeeping Industry

She needs help with answers to the following questions.
1. How is wage inequality measured and if it is present in Bee Keeping.
2. Are there any current or past news events related to wage inequality in Beekeeping
3. What was the industry’s method for determining that there was an inequality.

if anyone can come up with any ideas we would both appreciate it.

Stephen

Offline Understudy

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2008, 12:13:02 am »
Perhaps a few people could help me. My Wife is studying Business Studies and is currently writing a paper on the beekeeping Industry

She needs help with answers to the following questions.
1. How is wage inequality measured and if it is present in Bee Keeping.
2. Are there any current or past news events related to wage inequality in Beekeeping
3. What was the industry’s method for determining that there was an inequality.

if anyone can come up with any ideas we would both appreciate it.

Stephen

You realize after I answer this question I want credit in the report.

First off defining wage inequity in beekeeping is going to be a bit difficult. You are dealing with one specific part of the agricultural industry. And while the agricultural industry is rampant with wage inequality narrowing that issue down to just beekeeping becomes far more difficult.

In order for there to be wage inequality in beekeeping we must limit ourselves to those who are commerical beekeepers. Hobbiest may produce income from beekeeping. They may even be profitable however they are not an economic force in regards to wage inequity. Small business beekeepers may have employees but they are not enough of a labor force to qualify for the statistics in the overall numbers of wage inequality. Large scale commerical operations  may have many employees but the issue of wage inequity as factor is questionable at best.

Even a commerical beekeeper does not tend to have more than 30 employees. The commercial beekeeper tends to look at his bees as employees more so than perhaps even his staff. From my limited understanding the average staff member of an apiary can make anywhere from $12-$18 an hour depending on job description and experience level. Long term employment with an apiary will also be a factor. The average commerical beekeeper is probably earning anywhere from $20,000 and up. http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=beekeeper&l1=Gackle%2C+ND

Some are more than likely earning more however you will not see many beekeepers in the upper income tax bracket or the Forbe's list of 100 richest people. 

The labor aspect also does not contain the number of immigrant employees who are willing to work for below minimum wage levels. Bees sting there is an inherent risk in dealing with these insects. It's not a job everyone wants. That tends to have an effect on the wages

There are also many aspects to beekeeping. While honey and pollination are the most common, perhaps the most lucrative is queen raising. This is perhaps the profitable aspect of the industry. Once again even this does not create millionaires. The most expensive queens are generally put out by Universities or Labs that have a much more diverse set of interests or products.

The beekeeping industry while a small aspect of agriculture is quite diverse. You have honey producers, pollinators, package and queens sellers. Some are a combination. You also have the co-ops like Sue Bee honey which does nothing more than collect honey from apiaries and try to get the best price for the honey. You also have the research leg of beekeeping which tends to be the job of the universities. You have the suppliers of beekeeping equipment. This may be the only certain area of profitablity in the beekeeping industry. Beekeepers need supplies lots of them and they don't come cheap.  A beekeeper can have a great year and then suffer a devistaing loss and have to replace bees and or equipment. Pest control companies make money removing bees from homes and public areas. Chemical companies that make products to keep bees free of pests are also a factor.

However even with all of that is there wage inequity? In my opinion, no. There is not a huge gap between the employees and the owners.

I do not believe the beekeeping industry addresses wage inequity ( I could be wrong).

Sincerely,
Brendhan




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Offline Fannbee

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2008, 12:26:58 am »
All the girls do the work....the drones just lay around.
Chuck and Fran

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2008, 12:41:45 am »
you mean producing and selling honey wholesale for the amount or less than the amount it takes to produce it- or are you talking about competing with foreign suppliers that dump cheap substandard honey on the market and keep beekeepers from making a decant wage or are you talking about beekeeping being a way of life with countless hours of work and no sleep-other than a day job -if not then i dont know what you are talking about can you splain it to me-RDY-B

Offline TwT

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Re: Wage Equality in the Beekeeping Industry
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2008, 01:48:36 am »
I have never heard of what employees make after years of working for a beekeeper, I do know Wilbanks was wanting to hire someone with beekeeping experience and starting pay was $8.50 a hour and that was in 2006, I dont think many employees working in Apiaries make over $12-$13 a hour, some maybe more but most is considered labor.
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline BeeHopper

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2008, 06:33:52 am »
Perhaps a few people could help me. My Wife is studying Business Studies and is currently writing a paper on the beekeeping Industry

She needs help with answers to the following questions.
1. How is wage inequality measured and if it is present in Bee Keeping.
2. Are there any current or past news events related to wage inequality in Beekeeping
3. What was the industry’s method for determining that there was an inequality.

if anyone can come up with any ideas we would both appreciate it.

Stephen


For starters,

The National Honey Board in Colorado, they collect stats, hope it helps  :-D

Jami Yanoski, National Honey Board Marketing Manager

(303)776-2337, ext. 107

jami@nhb.org

Offline CBEE

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2008, 11:56:17 am »
Wadge.. as in earning money ?
You mean people actually make money in this business  :shock:

Offline asprince

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2008, 12:04:49 pm »
There is lots of MONEY in bees................YOURS!
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 Bennettoid

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2008, 12:44:58 pm »
There is lots of MONEY in bees................YOURS!


 :'(


Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2008, 01:15:38 pm »
You might want to consider posting this question on some of the other beekeeping forums, the two I know about are:

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/
http://www.beesource.com/forums/

They have different mixes of hobby/sideliner/full-time beeks and might be able to address the question in different ways.

My wages are very inequitable right now.  I don't pay the females anything, whereas I (the male) gets all of the profits.  And I work them to death!
I suppose I do let them keep some honey if you count that....

Rick
Rick

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2008, 07:11:06 pm »
There is lots of MONEY in bees................YOURS!
                     :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: thats the best one yet  :-D RDY-B

Offline TwT

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Re: Wage Equality in the Beekeeping Industry
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2008, 07:34:16 pm »
There are quiet a few that make a very good living from bee's, it would be crazy to think it can not be very profitable, people try to make it sound like they got to pay employees and buy equipment and expenses just eat up their profit, well look at it this way, a pollinator with 3000-5000 hives in California get (lets got bottom end for almonds) $110 a hive, you figure it the numbers.... there are many that have tractor trailers, skid loaders, huge shops, ect. its just like running a company, they wouldn't do it if they could cover expenses and make a very good profit, sure the profit is probably bigger with the bigger operation but I know for a fact that the commercial beekeepers can make good to very very good a year, and like other things they like others have bad years but that all most focus on, they tell when they have a bad year but you never hear how good the good years are and there are more good years lately except for the ones losing massive hives numbers.
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2008, 08:44:22 pm »
ask any pollinator and they will tell you the grower makes the killing -I happen to  believe  the growers are where the real money lays-at least in almonds  8-) and they pay the best -RDY-B

Offline TwT

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2008, 08:49:07 pm »
ask any pollinator and they will tell you the grower makes the killing -I happen to  believe  the growers are where the real money lays-at least in almonds  8-) and they pay the best -RDY-B

aw yes, so true, now you talking bigger money but beekeepers can make a good living.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2008, 02:16:11 am by TwT »
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline Latrell

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #14 on: February 10, 2008, 10:32:58 am »
Quote
You realize after I answer this question I want credit in the report.

Brendan

by the time my hubby (Steveo) posted the question I had already gave a lacking reply in my class, however today as I am writing my final paper for this class I quoted you and gave you credit for it in my paper..

Honestly your response was the most informative bit of information that I have found any where on the subject of wages and beekeeping.

Thanks a bunch for your input.. now back to writing final papers and painting bee hives lol 
Latrell

an American learning to live with a Brit

Offline Understudy

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Re: Wage Equlity in the BeeKeeping Industry
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2008, 07:05:19 pm »
Quote
You realize after I answer this question I want credit in the report.

Brendan

by the time my hubby (Steveo) posted the question I had already gave a lacking reply in my class, however today as I am writing my final paper for this class I quoted you and gave you credit for it in my paper..

Honestly your response was the most informative bit of information that I have found any where on the subject of wages and beekeeping.

Thanks a bunch for your input.. now back to writing final papers and painting bee hives lol 

I am famous. ;)

Autographs will be done on Feburary 30th at a bookstore near you.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible