Price On Medium Super Frame Full Of Honey

[Jen]

First, our county has been engulfed in smoke for about 6 weeks now. All beekeepers are complaining of not enough nectar coming in to fill the super frames, let alone a whole super of 10/9 frames. There will be no comb honey for sale or gifts this year.

That said, our county fair is in full swing and our county bee association has a booth. We have a super frame full of capped honey for sampling, it's working splendidly for honey sales, for what we have to sell that is.

Some of the public has asked if they can buy a whole frame of capped honey. We were not anticipating inquiries like this. So how much would we ask for selling a Medium Super Frame full of capped honey?

In addition, how much honey is in a medium frame? This would be honey that is not bulging out but lies flush with the side bars.

[tedh]

Hey Jen!  We average about 2.5 gallons or about 30 pounds per medium super.  So I'd guess about .25 gallons (1 quart) or about 3 pounds per frame.  Ted

[Jen]

So I buy honey by the quart here all year long for around $18.00

Then factor in frame, foundation and... drawn wax..

frame/foundation $2.60 unassembled. I don't mind assembling.

Drawn wax $100.00

Honey                 $18.00
Frame/found        $  2.60
drawn wax          $100.00

So we could sell one medium super frame full to the brim with honey for $120.60 !!!

That is a heck of a good deal in my bee book. We will have fair goers lined up at our booth a mile long for home grown honey at that price. Thanks Ted, I can always depend on your logic

[tedh]

Wow!  A hundred bucks for a drawn medium frame?  Seriously? 
 
Another way to look at it is that we get four squares of comb honey out of a medium, so whatever you sell comb honey for multiply that by four.  Ted

[Bakersdozen]

Jen, if conditions are as sparse as you describe, would that frame be more beneficial in the hive as apposed to being sold?
I agree with your pricing only because that is what I feel it is worth.  Personally, I don't think you will sell too many.  Let us know how it goes.

[Jen]

  I was wondering if this would be taken seriously In my heart and hard work I know a full frame of capped honey is worth $120 smackers, but I wouldn't charge that. But I was thinking about $50.

I think a square of comb honey goes for around $10 give or take. So four squares would be $48, so $50 is not out of the ball park.

Baker, none of us backyard beeks in this county can afford to let any honey go for sale this year. However, the small and large commercial outfits that move into our county for the summer could donate a frame or two to the fair to help us boost our bee bank. I think it would look very cool to have frames of honey for sale at the fair.

[Lburou]

...However, the small and large commercial outfits that move into our county for the summer could donate a frame or two to the fair to help us boost our bee bank. I think it would look very cool to have frames of honey for sale at the fair.

If those bees have been in orchards while farmers are spraying fungicides and insecticides, I wouldn't want that honey...the combs, and honey in them, are likely contaminated.  JMO 

[Bakersdozen]

Jen, do you think the great American public would know what to do with a frame of honey and would they bother doing the work involved?  Keep us posted!

[Jen]

Good morning Baker what I observed was, the people who inquired about the frame of comb honey loved scraping the honey and comb off of the foundation with the popsicle stick and eating it. It seemed to me that that is what they wanted to do.

I do have a grandios idea to find or build a short simple box with simple plexiglass lid that will fit the comb frame laying down in it, display it slightly propped up and see if anyone would buy it at the fair. A plexiglass cover so no beer or sneezes will fall upon it. $50

It would be a very cool display for a fair booth. And if it doesn't sell I would return the frame to my hive.

[Bakersdozen]

At our state fair, there is a category for a frame of comb honey.  There are wooden cases with glass or plexiglass windows.  The cases hold the frame of honey upright so that it is not damaged.  The judges open the cases, pull out the frame, and make their decisions.  The actual frame of honey is judged on a number of criteria including if the frame was properly assembled, with the proper number of nails, location of nails and so forth. 

[Jen]

Wow! Now there is a challenge for beekeepers and how much finesse they want to put into comb honey. I like it!

[Bakersdozen]

Ah oh!  I just realized I was misleading.  A frame of capped honey can included with or without foundation, not comb honey.  There is a separate category for comb honey.
Because of health department rules, when we hand out samples at the fair, we have to hand the sample to the customer. 

[Jen]

That is interesting! Our health department inspected our booth two times and we were told that we were Not to touch the popsicle sticks and scoop them with honey and hand them to the people. The fair goers were supposed to do that. I am sure that that was wrong advice! So I kinda took over for the kids, and then should have taken over for the adults too, one guy sloshed some of his beer onto the frame. Lucky we were able to promptly turn the frame around.

[Bakersdozen]

Nothing like a beer sloshing guy! 
there is the understanding that the booth workers hands are clean.  Who knows which exhibit those people were at last...chickens, rabbits, horses?  It ensures no double dipping too!