# Migratory Beeks - Pollination - Honey Production



## CentralPAguy (Feb 8, 2009)

I was dreaming of leaving my day job and got to thinking about migratory beeks. Of course, it is a dream, but if I had my druthers, I might try being a migratory beek.

Am I correct that when you are honoring a pollination contract that you are delivering a hive consisting of 1 Deep. If so, how do you control the swarming?

If one starts in Florida and migrates up the states to take advantage of pollination, how do you harvest the honey that the bees produce or do you not concern yourself with the honey production -- Thanks.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

Well as a commercial beekeeper and after years of experience you learn what pollination contracts will allow your bees to build up. So i wil give a simple explanation of 3 of our spring/summer pollination jobs.

Take Pennsylvania apples for example, normally not much honey is made, so we send our bees in as a deep brood box, and one shallow on top, for the odd chance they do make some honey, and normally any honey made we contribute to dandelion blooms.

Maine Blueberries is a bit trickier. Again normally not much honey made but enough so that the bees do expand. Again we send the bees as a deep and shallow, but before shipment we count all frames of brood in each box. We make sure every deep has 6 frams of brood, some honey, and at least 2 empty frames for brood production. This keeps most of the bees from swarming.

We also do a lot in Michagan and Ohio vine crops. This area actually a fairly decent honey flow during our pollination contract. So we send our bees as a deep brood box and 2 or 3 shallows. The difference between 2 or 3 shallows is a decision based on the weather outlook. Even with the added honey area most of the bees still swarm, but again most of them also mate and end up as Good Honey Producers for a Florida fall crop.

As far as harvesting honey from a pollination contract depends upon where the bees are going next. Back to apples, unless the bees fill a whole box we let it on to go the next crop. The next crop being maine blueberries where honey is hit and miss either, A, they will finish filling it up or B, they need the extra honey stores and eat it. If we know the next pollination job is a good honey producer then we pull half boxes or better to give them more room.

Just a note, we use queen excluders on everyhive to keep the brood out of our shallows.


Hope these ramblings make some sense.

Just ask if you want further explanations.

Aaron

P.S. Fulltime migratory beekeeping positions are normally always available. Inquire within...


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## CentralPAguy (Feb 8, 2009)

Astro,

Thanks. Curious on how many months are your bees actively creating honey. I am thinking that your bees never go to Clustering stage.

Being stationary in Central PA, I really can only count on 3 months (April thru June) for honey production.

I have to tell you that when my company gives me my walking papers or if I decide to no longer trade my life for the greenbacks, I will most definitely look into Migratory beekeeping. 

When you are on the Migratory highway, do you live out of an RV. I would imagine that hotels would get expensive. Do you basically drive at night to arrive at your pollination contracts.

Do you have spots of land that you either own or rent close to the interstates when you need to take a break or do you basically stay at one location for several weeks and then drive to the next? How long can you stay at a Pollination Contract site?

Are there any books that you might recommend on Migratory/Pollination beekeeping. 

I probably will ask alot more questions and am grateful to pick up knowledge.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Central PA Guy,

One of the best bits of advice I've read on the forum is that the best way to become a commercial beek is to work for/with one for a couple of years. That way you learn from their experience. It keeps a person from learning the hard way, and going broke in the bargain. Of course, you might still go broke, but perhaps for different reasons! :scratch:

In addition, such experience would show you whether or not you really wanted to be a commercial beek, migratory or otherwise. 

Good luck to you!
Steven


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

If anyone on here made a serious job offer in migratory I'd take them up on it pronto. I won't lie, I need experience.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

I dont live in RV while in Fl....I live in sleeper on truck! Have a bag I fill with water, sun warms it and it shower in woods. I'm Hoping to but a place in Fl this year....3-5 acres with home for my Fl operation. Since I go to almonds I spend about three to four weeks a year in sleeper. I try to load before dark, get nets on at dusk then drive. Been known to drive 17 hours without stopping...not fun!


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## CentralPAguy (Feb 8, 2009)

Skinner Apiaries said:


> If anyone on here made a serious job offer in migratory


I honestly believe that there are individuals who would take you under their wing. So what would you bring to the table and offer them in order to gain the knowledge that you need.

Migratory Beeks are profit oriented and you would need to state how they can benefit by hiring you. They are going to train you and it costs money to train. They are spending more money on you initially then what they will get back. 

Do you have dependents? What is your health like? Can you promise them a full season. Do you need to get back to North Carolina at a certain time of the year. So if you are a short timer, then you need to take that into the Salary scale.

How much money do you need to make in order to reach the standard of living that you want. 

The question is how hungry are you for this experience and what is driving you to this occupation. It is likely to be hard work and you may already demonstrated that you can do it.

You joined in August 2009 -- So have you PM'd any of the individuals who are posting in the Commercial Beekeeping Forum? 

I hope that my questions are not offensive, but trigger you to initiate action if you haven't done so. No one is going to call you up and offer you something, but you can call them and set up first a phone interview and then if you both like what is being said to schedule a face to face meeting.


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## pahvantpiper (Apr 25, 2006)

"Am I correct that when you are honoring a pollination contract that you are delivering a hive consisting of 1 Deep."

I pollinate in the almonds then on to peaches, cherries and apples in Utah. My hives are always in double deep configuration.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Skinner Apiaries said:


> If anyone on here made a serious job offer in migratory I'd take them up on it pronto. I won't lie, I need experience.


If you are willing to relocate to SC for the spring and NY for the summer, I may know someone who would employ you. I'll call you when I get to SC next week.

One thing about migratory beekeeping is that you better have an understanding spouse/family or no family. A lot of things are missed when you are on the road w/ your bees.


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## greenbeekeeping (Feb 13, 2003)

The wife and I are ready for migratory beekeeping. Now if I can get enough bees to quit my day job I would be allset. I am running bees to Mississippi this year though.


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

PA, Im talkin to a couple, sqkcrk is one of them. Im not going to need alot of training, I have 2 years experience, a great mentor, and I now have 55 hives, what I need is large scale experience, dealing with brokers, all the fun of semi issues, large scale queen rearing, package shaking, and long range migration. I look forward to learning financials and other clerical goodies (Business classes in college were a good start). Getting better at my assassination, er.. requeening is something I look forward too... lol. Pay is pay, I understand this is a job that has vastly varying hours, hourly is fine, and I dont know what cost you speak of to train, I understand that being slow can be costly, but I doubt it's really something you would call costly given that I have a fairly good idea from doing ALOT of the work, just not on a large scale... I mean.. if anyone wants to pay for me to get a CDL... j/k, hire a pro driver! Its all hard work, I just can't afford to grow my business with my current job and going to school. As a result this would get my foot in the door, and who knows if I can tag along a few hives to some later pollinations, then that would be a good inventive. In all actuality, I'd probably prefer to just sit on them and split split split....
sqkcrk, I have a fiance that understands its all about following the money (and if I ever get enough to put a roof over her I'll quickly marry her) In all reality I too would probably get a sleeper and just drag her around with me initially. Eventually I would probably be like Andy Card and just drag a camper with the kids around the road some. And if thats not good enough I can only say that without taking care of the bees, we aren't going to be eating. But family aside, I would love to just grow bees, but I feel like I need to get my foot in the door here because pollination money is on paper, and packages are an unsure market, based on how a year goes, and commodity prices... 

Ok guys, sorry for a long post. look forward to hearing what everyone has to say...


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## CentralPAguy (Feb 8, 2009)

Skinner, Growing to 55 Hives in 2 years, I am impressed. 

Is it your plan to eventually own your own migratory business or are you looking at working fulltime for the established migratory beeks, where pay is pay.

I would imagine that it takes alot of money to grow into a large Migratory business and a good business growth plan would be a must in order to obtain business investment monies.

I honestly do understand how much enjoyment is gotten from just raising bees.

I would love to take my bees with me down south to avoid the winters and migrate up the coast to take advantage of the nectar flows. I was thinking that I might as well get paid for pollination services and harvest honey as well. But first, I would need to separate myself from the golden handcuffs that my employer provides and that is hard to do.


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

Well I'm really game for anything, at this point growing is going to be limited by my income, and as such being under a commercial beek would offer me some scales of economy on stuff like syrup, if I were growing side by side. I'm also limited by time to do something around my school which is now ending, and my job which is not really doing more than funding my beekeeping. I dont particularly want to depend on a fixed operation entirely, when I know the efficiency increase is HUGE with migratory. Going to almonds for instance, has HUGE overhead, fuel, brokers, losses, truckers, inspections, and who knows probably bribes/cuts. But the idea of making maybe 60 or 80 a box after costs, in months when I otherwise wouldnt do anything, and coming home to split them in half or thirds.. Nuts. lol. 
I grew quickly because like my signature says, I have been throwing Syrup at em like mad. If I dont go anywhere this year I'll borrow some money for syrup and pollen sub and break everything down and keep it split down to 5 frames. Don't know how far I'd get next year but I definitely would be focused on growing. And if a pollination early slips in there, then I'll be glad to borrow less. lol


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