What to do....

[yesbut 6,230]

Picture a commercial operation of several hundred hives......several tonnes of unsold honey.....owner operator struck down with terminal health condition, treatment only just gone in courtesy of volunteers....wife run ragged caring.....what to do.....

[tommy dave 1,184]

I hope this is a hypothetical, not a nice picture and I hope anyone facing this situation finds/has good support. Only a couple of ideas that spring to mind, not sure if any use but i'll list them just in case

1. talk to the geographically near commercial beekeepers and see if something can be arranged? perhaps those who supported in putting in treatments might be able to provide useful ideas/brainstorming?
2. is there some way that the apprenticeship scheme and some associated subsidies that were posted on here a while back might yield some sort of options?

[Wildflower 465]

9 minutes ago, yesbut said:

Picture a commercial operation of several hundred hives......several tonnes of unsold honey.....owner operator struck down with terminal health condition, treatment only just gone in courtesy of volunteers....wife run ragged caring.....what to do.....

What a horrid situation. Sorry to hear that.

[Wildflower 465]

2 minutes ago, tommy dave said:

hypothetical situation?

I hope so.

[tristan 4,362]

2 hours ago, tommy dave said:

I hope this is a hypothetical,

sadly not uncommon.

one of the AFB outbreaks a few years back was this sort of situation (tho at least they sold the honey).

they employed a beek to run the hives who seamed to have spread afb through them. a lot went up in smoke instead of being sold.

 

they need to talk to local outfits, volunteers, and get a plan into gear. probably not a bad idea to keep @AFB PMP Management Agency in the loop they may know people who can help.

this is not about saving the business at all, its simply stopping it from damaging everyone around them.

they will need to sell what hives they can, wind up the rest before they run out of money to be able to look after them and end up with dumped bee hives spreading varroa and afb.

[jamesc 4,901]

Call in the troops Bro . I'm pretty sure you could muster a team to manage the situation in the short term. I should be on my Christmas break the end of next week !

 

I remember a similar case here a few years ago. Several hundred hives, the beekeeper dropped dead, the wife was left holding the baby. The hives were sold very quickly.

 

 

[yesbut 6,230]

Yes, but what price a hive at the moment ?

[tristan 4,362]

5 minutes ago, yesbut said:

Yes, but what price a hive at the moment ?

are hives even selling ?

[jamesc 4,901]

32 minutes ago, yesbut said:

Yes, but what price a hive at the moment ?

A hive is worth what it will produce

30kg clover@$4/kg..... &120

30kg Manuka@$25 .....$750

[john berry 5,636]

I have seen the sort of scenario a few times over the years and even 10 years ago everyone  would have pitched in and helped even if they didn't like the beekeeper involved.

Times have changed and most of the new beekeepers round here treat the existing beekeepers with total disdain and it's hard not to reciprocate.

There are still a few people I would get out of bed to help but there are probably more that I would fall out of bed laughing which is a pretty sad state of affairs.

[jamesc 4,901]

I think the thing is , it’s a case of keeping a tidy backyard. You may not like the guys, but if their laidbackness has the potential to cause you a headache ..... I’d be helping them out.

Besides, life’s too short to have too many enemies.

[Gino de Graaf 1,030]

20 minutes ago, jamesc said:

Besides, life’s too short to have too many enemies.

Lol. How many is too many?? Is 5 ok? Or 7... Or 1... 

[jamesc 4,901]

LOLA ..... One is too many.  I tend to forget and move on .... it’s less destructive... and of course , the world is round  and what goes around comes around.

[Sailabee 1,102]

I sincerely hope this is just a hypothetical situation, but it does beg the question as to why so many with honey for Africa already in the shed are still increasing hive numbers. The yield/hive will continue to drop until such time as the hive numbers halve nationally, which in itself would in the longer view reduce the financial pressure on those without a corporate board to gouge shareholders for more money. Finding  a short term way to manage fewer hives would be a lot more tenable I would think. The price/hive has very little to do with the solving of the problem, because the alternative is to lose them anyway if they cannot be managed.

[jamesc 4,901]

Aah kimosabhe.... I have priveledged info.... not.

The Uk imports 50,000 tonnes of honey pa.

Recent news is that  the 1/3 imported from China is adulterated with corn syrup.

I would say the honey sitting in my shed has just doubled in value .... and but wait .... there is more, much more.... when the sun comes out , the stuff is pouring in.

[Gino de Graaf 1,030]

2 hours ago, jamesc said:

the world is round  and what goes around comes around.

Nah, some can lead happy lives,and be shizzers the entire time.

Never goes round. Karma?

 

 

[Grant 4,298]

1 hour ago, jamesc said:

Recent news is that  the 1/3 imported from China is adulterated with corn syrup.

 

That's not technically true.

 

The media reports make a very clear distinction in their terminology, using phrases such as 'may' or 'suggested'.

 

Whilst the UK imports 1/3 of its honey from China it doesn't say in any of the reports that all of the imported honey from this region is adulterated.

 

They also state the test results are unconfirmed.

 

 

Quote

 

If the analysis, using a new generation of 'nuclear magnetic resonance' tests, is proven, it would represent the UK's biggest food fraud since the horsemeat scandal in 2013.

 

Honey importers and supermarkets insist the tests, which analyse types of sugar in honey and pick out those which came from a factory rather than bees, are inaccurate and cannot be trusted. 

 

 

 

Supermarket scandal sees honey 'bulked out with cheap sugar syrups'

WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

---

Tests conducted on own-brand honeys from...

 

[Gino de Graaf 1,030]

1 hour ago, jamesc said:

Aah kimosabhe.... I have priveledged info.... not.

The Uk imports 50,000 tonnes of honey pa.

Recent news is that  the 1/3 imported from China is adulterated with corn syrup.

I would say the honey sitting in my shed has just doubled in value .... and but wait .... there is more, much more.... when the sun comes out , the stuff is pouring in.

Lol, you're in a position to start a co op with all your stock now and into the future. 

A huge shed, 4 staff, central location, pooled honey, one place stop. I know, makes no sense. Be James honey.

Your location may be a hurrdle at World's End. Good movie, your Simon Peg

Edited November 29, 2020 by Gino de Graaf

[Gino de Graaf 1,030]

2 minutes ago, Grant said:

That's not technically true.

 

The media reports make a very clear distinction in their terminology, using phrases such as 'may' or 'suggested'.

 

The also state the test results are unconfirmed.

 

Whilst the UK imports 1/3 of its honey from China it doesn't say in any of the reports that all of the imported honey from this region is adulterated.

 

[quote]

If the analysis, using a new generation of 'nuclear magnetic resonance' tests, is proven, it would represent the UK's biggest food fraud since the horsemeat scandal in 2013.

 

Honey importers and supermarkets insist the tests, which analyse types of sugar in honey and pick out those which came from a factory rather than bees, are inaccurate and cannot be trusted. [/quote]

 

Supermarket scandal sees honey 'bulked out with cheap sugar syrups'

WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

---

Tests conducted on own-brand honeys from...

 

That's honey labeled from china. Lots get sent to EU counties to get re branded. From the EU.

[jamesc 4,901]

9 hours ago, Gino de Graaf said:

Lol, you're in a position to start a co op with all your stock now and into the future. 

A huge shed, 4 staff, central location, pooled honey, one place stop. I know, makes no sense. Be James honey.

Your location may be a hurrdle at World's End. Good movie, your Simon Peg

Simon Peg ?

[nikki watts 905]

On 29/11/2020 at 8:18 AM, yesbut said:

Picture a commercial operation of several hundred hives......several tonnes of unsold honey.....owner operator struck down with terminal health condition, treatment only just gone in courtesy of volunteers....wife run ragged caring.....what to do.....

what about a share agreement with another beek ? they tend the hives for % of the crop ? or trade tending hives with present owner taking large percentage of this years crop for buyout of hives, could be a good way for a young beek to get started. 

[Dennis Crowley 1,351]

On 29/11/2020 at 4:31 PM, jamesc said:

A hive is worth what it will produce

30kg clover@$4/kg..... &120

30kg Manuka@$25 .....$750

All hives can produce, a hive is worth what someone will pay for it.

[tristan 4,362]

7 hours ago, nikki watts said:

what about a share agreement with another beek ? they tend the hives for % of the crop ? or trade tending hives with present owner taking large percentage of this years crop for buyout of hives, could be a good way for a young beek to get started. 

nice idea, if it was a few years back it would have worked well. but in todays market thats a complete nitemare.

[Gino de Graaf 1,030]

Trademe. 150 3 high hives. 

Sold at 25k. $160 odd each. 

I think bees are worth what's added value. Sites, contracts....