# I read it all



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

>> Every. Single. Post. 

Wow! 



>> I owe a lot of that to the tidbits of information I have gleaned from this forum. 

So apparently, its true ...
. . . . . . "those who want to see, can see". - - [Oldtimer - 2016]​


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Wow, you sound a bit like Lauri. A beekeeper who attributes most of her learning about bees to BS. She too has become very successful.

Congratulations!


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Perspective is everything, tapping into conversation from the other world is exactly what many Beekeepers crave. But when they interact in that world and get nipped they get insulted. Lol
This site is an interesting thing

150 mated queens, good job :thumbsup:


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm immune to insults. That helps a lot. I really enjoyed your posts Ian (fb, blog, and bs). I'm also starting this venture up while attached to a large farm. It's a different situation than most. We don't do animals anymore, but we run a lot of corn and soy. I'm slowly education the family about leaving the ditch weeds alone and things like that.


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## BigBlackBirds (Aug 26, 2011)

cheryl1 said:


> I'm immune to insults. That helps a lot. I really enjoyed your posts Ian (fb, blog, and bs). I'm also starting this venture up while attached to a large farm. It's a different situation than most. We don't do animals anymore, but we run a lot of corn and soy. I'm slowly education the family about leaving the ditch weeds alone and things like that.


Good job cheryl. sounds like you had a good year too. Have you found the opportunity to spend any time with larger sideline or commercial outfit? That would be my suggestion for your beekeeping bucket list of items to do moving forward.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

As far as I know I'm now the biggest one in this area, except for the Amish and that's a whole different thing. Next month I'm attending the bee culture conference and the state bee conference the week after that. I hope to meet some people there.


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## bucksbees (May 19, 2015)

cheryl1 said:


> So thank you to everyone who has posted for sharing even a small bit of your experience and a special thanks to those who have taken the time to explain things to newbees, over and over and over and over.


I agree, I have learned more from listening, and researching others post.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Good job Cheryl, but I got you beat for the year in hive count and I didn't even have to read every single post :lpf: You did accomplish more in terms of the bees and sales though, I will give you that one :thumbsup:


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

cheryl1 said:


> I'm immune to insults. That helps a lot. I really enjoyed your posts Ian (fb, blog, and bs). I'm also starting this venture up while attached to a large farm. It's a different situation than most. We don't do animals anymore, but we run a lot of corn and soy. I'm slowly education the family about leaving the ditch weeds alone and things like that.


Good show. Leave the fields to them, encourage the edges and corners to us. Reenforce it all season.


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## bucksbees (May 19, 2015)

I use the cross section fencing for dew/black berrys. I get to save my back from bending over and picking, and the cows don't rub on the fence.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

JRG13 yes but did you do it while homeschooling 3 kids and working two jobs?  I work nights also and there are a lot of slow times when I could get paid to sit and read beesource


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

cheryl1 said:


> JRG13 yes but did you do it while homeschooling 3 kids and working two jobs?  I work nights also and there are a lot of slow times when I could get paid to sit and read beesource


He he, no, you win there, I did the two job thing before the kids, only 1 is old enough for school now, the other 2 I can't wait for school to start...lol


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I've considered sending them to school, but I get so much darn work out of them!  The oldest has 5 of her own hives and she's going to be sitting at the festival booth selling honey for a week straight next month. That beats me having to do it! She's making lotion and we're going to try our hand at some creamed honey.


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## sakhoney (Apr 3, 2016)

Good Job Cheryl1 - I got my beekeeping experience while working 2 full years for a comm. outfit that was running 15000 hives. And that was close to 40 years ago. Were needing some good replacement beekeepers as some of us are getting - well I should say seasoned. Need some young whipper snappers to replace us.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Don't worry, Sak. When you built it they will come!
Congratulation on the many accomplishment so far, Cheryl.
Still doing the honey brokering sale this coming season? 
Now with 50 hives how many do you like to expand to the next season?


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

Still brokering honey. It's surprising to me how many local keepers with just a few hives don't want to do anything more with their honey than keep a little for themselves and off load the rest. Then I think about how much work selling honey can be and I know why they are happy to give it to me lol. Having more and more of my own honey helps with the profit margins. 

Next year I definitely plan on getting a commercial kitchen put in at the house. We've been borrowing a community kitchen and it's a PIA. I've talked with the inspector and we have a basement room with an outside entrance that can be converted cheaply. 

I'm still working on hive plans for next year. How mine overwinter will have an impact on next year. I'll sell some local queens and nucs and move more of them into honey production. That comes with its own costs of getting a bigger extractor and other honey processing equipment. Maybe my next scratch off lottery ticket will be a winner


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

With 50 hives you will be very busy the next season.
Always plan for more hive equipment than for little to expand.
I plan to buy the drawn comb from the commercial operation to expand during the
early Spring time. Then the rest is the foundation frames.
Do whatever it takes to expand. And keep the cost under control. Play some what if
scenario on the spread sheets. Then take actions! Oh, forget about the lotto dream. 
Put that thought into something else for beekeeping is all hard work. Sometimes we will never
see our return on investment like the others who had failed. At least this is a chance we all have to take!
Make it or fail it depends on our calculated thoughts.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I won't rely on a winning lotto ticket but I sure wouldn't turn it down either! I feel like I have a pretty good handle on costs, although there is always room for improvement.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

cheryl1 said:


> Next month I'm attending the bee culture conference and the state bee conference the week after that.


C1, I can't find the State Bee Conference you are attending........got a link?


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

http://www.indianabeekeeper.com

2016 Fall Conference. I'm 90% sure I'm going as long as the checking account holds out.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Creamed honey is easy. Just buy a container of one with good texture and mix half of it with ten pounds of the highest moisture (storable) honey you have. Set on an uncarpeted basement floor for two weeks in the containers you are selling it in and you are there. I sell out constantly. When you get the commercial kitchen, add some cinnamon to some and watch them fly off the table.


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## hex0rz (Jan 14, 2014)

Cheryl, thank you for being such an inspiration!

Can you guess what I'm going to be doing next?


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

Reading the forum? Lol I highly recommend it. 

We are going to give the creamed honey a shot. 

I have 4 pounds of slightly fermented honey I don't know what to do with. I've seen it online for sale and marketed to the fermented foods/paleo diet crowd. People will apparently eat anything.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

hex0rz said:


> Can you guess what I'm going to be doing next?


Digging a basement so you can make creamed honey? :banana:


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

I have a full size basement that is now half workshop and future commercial kitchen lol. I kicked out all the household stuff


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## razoo (Jul 7, 2015)

JRG13 said:


> He he, no, you win there, I did the two job thing before the kids, only 1 is old enough for school now, the other 2 I can't wait for school to start...lol


Hey, didn't expect that. We also homeschool, four kids , plus another one in college. 
The college kid us the one who got me into beekeeping.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

> The college kid us the one who got me into beekeeping.


 Well, I've heard it all. Some people are driven to drinking by their kids, now we have one who was driven to beekeeping.


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## cheryl1 (Mar 7, 2015)

That's the truth lol. Sometimes everyone is in a bad mood and bickering and all of a sudden I feel like there is work that just has to be done in the bee yard. Off to grandma's they go and I get some peace and quiet


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

This reminds me of the old story, that insanity is genetic cause you get it from your kids.
Johno


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