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Author Topic: Hobbyist or commercial  (Read 20255 times)

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Offline GLOCK

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Hobbyist or commercial
« on: January 11, 2014, 07:00:16 pm »
Are you a hobbyist or sideliner or a commercial beekeeper .
And why we are at it how many years have you been at it?
Me going into my 5 th year I have 25 hives and plan on being a sideliner buy next year.
Around 50 hives buy winter I am hoping.
Thank you.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2014, 07:16:03 pm »
well...   I guess I have actually been helping take care of bees for a LONG time... with about a 20 year break..  helped a grand fellow with a twisted sense of humor when I was a kid.. left for the Navy (SeaBees).. When I got out, I moved away and married a gal from Maine.. ended up in Maine until I got tired of the crowding..  Moved back here in time to start helping with that fellows bees again for about 5 years before he passed away...  Ordered some of my own bees a couple years ago..  found out some of the hives I had been caring for were not destroyed, and added those to my collection... and hope to have 40 ish hives by fall...
   I guess you could say I am a commercial hobbyist...  I like working with the bees so its a Hobby, but I do it for the wax (Wife has a candle business) and Honey, and eventually hope to sell Nucs, queens and established hives.

   The gentleman I helped reminds me a lot of Iddee.. Just as nice as you could ever hope for, but just as ornery as a badger with its foot in a #2..  Not knowing much about bees at a ripe old age of about 12.. he handed me a prybar and had me pry a board off a shed that had bees in it.. To SEE if thats where they were building their hive..  Yeah, I did it, and he giggled for near 40 years...
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Offline GLOCK

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2014, 07:29:52 pm »
Quote from: LazyBkpr on January 11, 2014, 07:16:03 pm
well...   I guess I have actually been helping take care of bees for a LONG time... with about a 20 year break..  helped a grand fellow with a twisted sense of humor when I was a kid.. left for the Navy (SeaBees).. When I got out, I moved away and married a gal from Maine.. ended up in Maine until I got tired of the crowding..  Moved back here in time to start helping with that fellows bees again for about 5 years before he passed away...  Ordered some of my own bees a couple years ago..  found out some of the hives I had been caring for were not destroyed, and added those to my collection... and hope to have 40 ish hives by fall...
   I guess you could say I am a commercial hobbyist...  I like working with the bees so its a Hobby, but I do it for the wax (Wife has a candle business) and Honey, and eventually hope to sell Nucs, queens and established hives.

   The gentleman I helped reminds me a lot of Iddee.. Just as nice as you could ever hope for, but just as ornery as a badger with its foot in a #2..  Not knowing much about bees at a ripe old age of about 12.. he handed me a prybar and had me pry a board off a shed that had bees in it.. To SEE if thats where they were building their hive..  Yeah, I did it, and he giggled for near 40 years...
That's  great  memories made from beekeeping I know I have many already and many more to come .
My wife I think is going to help me out this year and I know she will take to it .
She has already hived a swarm and put a wet sheet over some nucs that where getting robed out when I was at work and she is scared of bees . I know she's warming over to the bees. after 5 years she has no choice.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2014, 07:35:19 pm »
after 5 years she has no choice.

   LOL!!!   Mine TRIES..  if I am sitting, watching, relaxing, she comes and sits with me.. until a be lands on her... then shes OFF and running, making an EEEEEEEE sound with her arms flapping while I giggle....    I bought an Ultra Breeze for her, we will see if that helps her with the EEEEEEE thing :)
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Offline iddee

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2014, 07:59:38 pm »
I'm just a newcomer with a few hives. I started about 1976 by driving a semi, hauling 5 trips of 500 hives each from Appleton, Wi. to Orlando, Fl. Then back in the fall. Not my bees.

Since then, I have made a profitable hobby of removing bees from where they are not wanted. I wintered 5 out of 6 last winter, gave away 15 to 20, and sold 25 or 30 last summer. Went into this winter with 4, and still have them and one I'm caretaking for a lady. Expect to get, and get rid of, another 30 to 50 this year. At 68 years old, I am ready to slow down a bit.
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Offline GLOCK

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2014, 08:03:50 pm »
Quote from: LazyBkpr on January 11, 2014, 07:35:19 pm
after 5 years she has no choice.

   LOL!!!   Mine TRIES..  if I am sitting, watching, relaxing, she comes and sits with me.. until a be lands on her... then shes OFF and running, making an EEEEEEEE sound with her arms flapping while I giggle....    I bought an Ultra Breeze for her, we will see if that helps her with the EEEEEEE thing :)
That's funny my wife acts the same way but yet she hived a swarm warring my Ultra Breeze suit and the same with the nucs  but if one buzz's by she's on alert and ready to run.
She bought me a Ultra Breeze jacket for Christmas so now she can ware the suit  and I know she learn to love it just like me :laugh:
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Offline Crofter

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2014, 08:13:55 pm »
Just a hobby. 8 hives here at home. My son has about 30 hives. His wife sells at farmers market; my wife gives it away! She hates shopping if you can believe that and the honey makes good presents. We have been at it for 4 years.
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Offline Perry

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2014, 08:49:48 pm »
Been at it for around 15 years I guess with a 4 year break in the middle (when my son was born).
Hobbyist up until a couple years ago when I made the jump to the 20's, and this year I'm at 50+.
I have most everything in place, slowly acquiring gear when I could afford it, and now should be able to run 50 easy, and have the ability to extract honey from 100.
I would call myself a sideliner perhaps, actually trying to derive a bit of an income from it the last year or so.
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Offline DLMKA

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2014, 09:26:39 pm »
I guess I'm still in the hobby phase. Just getting ready to start my 3rd year with bees. Started with two, got a couple swarms, and a couple more and decided that was great fun. I went into winter with 19 colonies in langstroth boxes and 2 still needing to get cut out of tree trunks. Found one of the trees dead and one of the langs dead today. Hoping to have 15+ come spring so I can raise some queens this spring/summer and sell some nucs next spring.
I'm probably on my way to becoming a sideliner, I would like to come out of this ahead and make a little side income off it. Hoping to have 20 production hives and 30 nucs going into next winter.
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Offline Papakeith

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2014, 11:00:46 pm »
still a hobbyist.  I'm just finishing up my second year keeping.  9 hives (might be 8 I'll probably find out tomorrow)  Hoping to expand a bit again this year.  Mostly though I want to work on making the hives I have the strongest that they can be.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2014, 11:49:30 pm »
Hobbyist, three years. The first two season's were filled with casualties. Starvation, AFB, Robbing, Mites. By the end of last fall I finally have a strong healthy hive. I doubt I'll go more than two or three hives. Hands Down it's the most fascinating hobby I have ever had ~
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Offline kebee

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2014, 07:57:12 am »
Only a hobbyist, never more than 5 hives, still trying to get there with only two good ones now, going to get a couple more this spring and see if I can keep them alive to make it, lost two hives last year to robbing and a queen die in one and didn't notice it.

Ken
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Offline BoilerJim

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2014, 08:17:13 am »
Going into my 4th year. I average about 9 or 10 hives. Went into it as a hobby but have sold honey along the way. Each year it basically paid for my equipment but this year I actually made about a grand for my efforts.
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #13 on: January 12, 2014, 12:00:23 pm »
Started with bees in 1972. Most of the time I've had about 10-20 hives.  One year I went up to 50 but quickly moved back down to my lower number.  I've always considered myself as a hobbyist since I had a full time + job and never reallly made much money selling my excess honey.  Most was usually given away to family and friends.  Since my retirement from teaching I've reduced my hive holdings to about 3-5, and don't sell any honey,  just produce for the family and friends.
My luck had it and three years ago my oldest grandson got interested in bees.  He wants to be in it full-time/commercial and most of my equipment has been passed on to him.  Today he already has over 100 hives.  Sometimes we work the hives together.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #14 on: January 12, 2014, 01:29:12 pm »
My luck had it and three years ago my oldest grandson got interested in bees.

   I'm green with envy Ef...   I can only dream of a grandson at this point, much less one that might be interested in bees.  Kids are 25 and neither want kids of their own...  I feel I have somehow failed...    Enjoy EVERY moment you can with him!
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Offline Jen

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2014, 02:13:57 pm »
Lazy- re: failure............. NOT! and NOT again!

look for my pm
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2014, 03:22:48 pm »
Quote from: LazyBkpr on January 12, 2014, 01:29:12 pm
My luck had it and three years ago my oldest grandson got interested in bees.

   I'm green with envy Ef...   I can only dream of a grandson at this point,......    Enjoy EVERY moment you can with him!

Sometimes, when I think of how blessed I am, I become envious of myself.  :)
I won't tell you how many children and grands I have, but my first great grandson (born to my oldest grand daughter) just passed his one-month-old day last week.  He's a real cutie.  I thank God every day for my multitude of blessings and I try to be worthy of the pleasure I get from all of my offspring, being with them, seeing them grow and participating in their developing into fine individuals.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #17 on: January 12, 2014, 03:27:43 pm »
Awe Geez ef, that was just sweetness !!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2014, 05:48:16 pm »
The words of a wise man!
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Offline blueblood

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Re: Hobbyist or commercial
« Reply #19 on: January 12, 2014, 06:06:10 pm »
Hobby but make some cash with them.
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