# Florida bee removal



## bees4lifeapiary (Jun 29, 2012)

I am in mid florida west coast and the issue with bee removal is no one wants to pay.They seem to think they are giving you a great gift.I am curious anyone else in here that does cut outs free of charge? they usually take hours and you cannot expect that you will get anything out of it,I want to save bees but I cannot spend hours on every bee colony out there and (maybe) have a %30 success rate that they stay or survive,I will tale a colony inside an object that kinda local free of charge,what do you all do?allways take them free or charge ?


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## Riverratbees (Feb 10, 2010)

Sometimes for free sometimes I charge just depends on the amount of work involved.


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## Tom Brueggen (Aug 10, 2011)

I've just entered into this same venture in Houston, TX. I performed my first cutout for free, on the down low. I offered to do it for free in exchange for the experience I gained, informing the homeowner of my lack of experience. The cutout went great, and the bees are happy in there new home at a friend's house. 

I've just gone public, advertising my services on Craigslist and the local classifieds. I'm also working to spread the news by word of mouth. 

Anyway, I know exactly what you are saying. I had a guy call me about bees in tree that he wanted to cut down. I went to look at the job, and given the location and situation, it would be very tough, and rightly, a costly job. Before I could even discuss cost, the guy just kept ranting about how he kills honeybees all the time, "just some good ol' Dawn dish soap and water..." He kept saying that, as if he was proud that he kills bees so often. If it weren't for wanting to get the bees, I'd have told him how I really felt. I still don't know if I can reasonably get the bees without expending a LOT of effort and risk on my own part. I imagine if I try to quote him any more than about $20 he'll just counter that he'll gladly kill them. 

I recommend you advertise yourself as a bee "rescuer". Sell yourself on all the good things that you can do for the bees, and the need for the bees to be properly rescued and relocated to a better, more suitable home. I'm also advertising with several options to make the work A la carte, where based on the situation, the cost shift up or down. So for example, I'll start the base rate at $200, knowing that I can drop to $150 to make it more desirable. After the base rate, I have a $50 fee if the work is over 8' high (requiring a ladder) and another $50 if I have to run a chainsaw at heights (tree jobs). These are all negotiable rates of course, but just kind of a base model that I am trying to work with. So an easy job, like the first one that I did for free, would likely only be $150, because I was able to stand on the ground, and it was as simple as pulling back the siding and exposing the hive. 

In addition, I'm offering an option for interested homeowners to purchase the bees back and have them in their own yard. Again, depending on how involved the homeowner wants to be, or how much they provide, can adjust the cost. The cheapest option would be if they obtain all the woodenware and have it on site before I do the cutout. Then I would just transfer the bees into their boxes, easy peezy! In addition, I'm offering management services, so if they want the bees for their own purposes (pollination, bee watching, etc) but don't want to do the work, I'll offer monthly inspections and maintenance, for a reasonable fee.


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## mrqb (Jul 17, 2011)

an old rule iwas always taught about doing removals is never be afraid to walk away.i always ask where are the bees,how long have they been there,have they been sprayed with anything,u know the basic questions while on the phone,if u think u want paid i mention possible cost before i hang up,to get a feel for the attitude.if they bock,i tell them to call someone else.i look at it as time is money,how much does a new pkg.cost versus your hourly rate.u have investments by just going to look at the job.and if u happen to get hurt doing the job and end up layed up what is your investment....long story but if u think u deserve to be paid then u do.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

It is illegal to charge for bee removal in Florida without a current PCO license. FDoACS just sent out a notice last week that will be published on the FSBA website. Usually notices come out when enforcement is about to occur.
"Beekeepers cannot charge for removing bees. . . . any kind of mitigation of an insect pest constitutes an act of pest control, including removal. However, currently the Department has allowed beekeepers to remove bees for the purposes of re-queening a hive without having to hold a pest control license. This is an unstated exemption of sorts. 
Michael J. Page, Chief
Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services Bureau of Entomology and Pest Control


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## Tom Brueggen (Aug 10, 2011)

hm...I wonder how much that license costs in Florida. I'd hope it is a marginal fee, and not one that is so cost prohibitive that beekeepers will no longer be able to justify doing cutouts. 

I agree with mrqb (when it's legal to charge for bee removal). Consider what your time is truly worth. My full time job pays ~$50/hr. As such, I don't do any part time labor for less than $25/hr. It's just a rule that I have made with myself to ensure that I'm not out working my life away, raking yards for $10/hr because I am greedy. But that is why I bid my jobs based on the level of difficulty that I anticipate. If I can sell all the honey from this cutout job (I can't because I already gave some of it away), I stand to make $200 from the honey. An assumed value of at least $100 for the bees (as an established colony they should sell for about $250), being extremely conservative, Then I have recouped my costs. But if I could have gotten $150 for my removal services to that would have been nice. 

Depending on how you can justify costs, you can work for free, if you think you can get the value out of the hive. The cutout that I did for free resulted in a strong colony of bees, and 25 pounds of honey for sale. I did give the bees to a friend for free, but he's given me plenty of stuff in the past, so that's a wash. But if I can sell the honey (doing good so far) I should be able to recoup costs for doing the work. If you get good at it, you can sell the honey and the bees, as well as get paid to do the removal work. That is the golden ticket. 

The number one rule in marketing apiculture products/services is not to undercut yourself. As a removal expert, you are offering a skilled service that many people would never even consider. I've seen big men run like little girls from a honeybee. Marketing local, RAW, honey, you have a rare, limited product. I tell people they are welcome to go buy the cheaper stuff at Walmart, but I encourage them to read the label closely, and let me know if they can really say where it came from (product of USA, Mexico and Canada for example). Ha, I have friends try to low ball me to buy my honey. I told him he could have some for free if he came over and got it out of the hive. He agreed to my price!


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

Since you live in an AHB state that in itself is reason to charge, explain the cost of the wooden ware and that although you are getting 'free' bees you very well may have to feed them to ge through the winter. Ask what they would expect t pay for a contractor to come in and do te same kind of work. Let them now that you do take he bees out for free but charge for the constructtion work involved getting to them. Explain that when they kill the bees that doesn't get rid of the hives honey and that thisi in turn can result in fermenting of honey which stinks and draws pests like roaches and ants. then they can pay for the exterminator For those who insist on killing those bees remind them that bees are responsible for 1/3rd of the food they eat and that they are in enough decline already. Explain that you don't really need those bees because you can split from what you have with alot less effort. Just let them know they are NOT doing you a favor but that you are providing them with a service that they called you for. Also let them know it will probably be next year before you MIGHT get any honey. Show them the costs associated with keeping those 'free' bees i.e. requeening,feeding,treating,ect As stated in one of the earlier posts be willing to walk away.


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