# commercial beekeeping in ky



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

There are people doing it...


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

It worked for walter Kelley. If you have a state bee inspector that would the person to ask.


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## Danpa14 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

Lyon county is starting beekeeping classes. I think Kent Williams is involved with the classes. He is a commercial beekeeper in Wingo,KY. Might be worth going and finding out. I think the classes are in Princeton.


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## Jon11 (Mar 29, 2011)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

Kent would be a good person to talk to. Every year there are different beekeeping schools held around the state of Kentucky. You can find more information about it by searching Kentucky State Beekeepers Association. You could also contact Tammy Horn who is the new State apiarist.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

Or Rick Sutton who is a KY Kentucky commercial.


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## babybee (Mar 23, 2012)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

I costs a lot to get started on a commercial level. If one were to buy out a modern 1500 colony bee outfit it would surprise me if it were a penny less than 500K. The bees, supers, trucks, forklifts, buildings, auto load extractors, and the bee territory all have a high value. I always recommend to work for a beekeeper first. The longer you work in the industry the better chances of later success. With all of that said these are great times to be a beekeeper, if you can keep them alive. Good luck


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## Heintz88 (Feb 26, 2012)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

If you can keep them alive effeciently. One missed treatment or to much treatment along with many other things can cost you a lot of money. Expensive are the mistakes but the knowledge gained is priceless.


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## Crabo (Jan 17, 2012)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

Are you already keeping bees and on what level?


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## rangerbees (Jan 19, 2015)

Yes and we are expandin to prob 50 plus this year and we are chimical free and want to make our own Clean chemical free foundation any suggestions


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Suggestions about what?


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Suggestions? Forget about making your own foundation if you want to go big.


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## rangerbees (Jan 19, 2015)

Thanks everyone for your replys and God bless Im sure I will trouble you all again


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## Crabo (Jan 17, 2012)

Your costs are really going to rise when you get more bees than you can move on your flatbed truck. (transportation, feeding, loading, extraction, ect. Everything becomes more of a job.)

One of the things that would really help you get going is to partner with some other smaller bee keepers. We have a small group that works together helping each other load, share transport, extract honey and share labor. You have to have good people who are willing to give to each other to get help for yourself.


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## rangerbees (Jan 19, 2015)

Crabo thank u so much for ur reply I have got a partner and we are going in togather on this. As we grow to our goal of 1000 or so our plan is to always pay for things as we ho and not aquier debt I do understand this will take a while to build up but feal this is the best way we do have trailer for moving and acess to loaders but in time im sure we will need to purchace a skidsteer style loader any other thaughts will be apreachiated !! 
May God bless you thanks curtis


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## Crabo (Jan 17, 2012)

We partner, but ownership of everything is kept separate


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## rangerbees (Jan 19, 2015)

Do u polanate if so what? And how well does this work for you iv herd that bees come back week and run down ?


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

If you want to stay treatment free with a 1,000 colonies good luck. Almost impossable as a commercial as you pick up mites and disease when pollinating.(i assume when you say send bees to pollinate you mean CA almonds or other large crops) Ky honey is some of the best...but very variable in yield. My best year 275 lbs 1982 whe I had 50 hives. My worst 3. But yields today are not what they were in the 80s and 90's . If I did not move across the US I would be out of business. In 2005 6 7 and 8 total yield combined in my area in KY was about 100 lbs. Three droughts and latre severe freeze about killed me. Today if I had to start again with the high cost of keeping bees alive and crazy weather I doubt I would be a commercial again. Talk to Ken Garman in your area about keeping bees alive. Lucky Frost isnt too far from you. Diesel is m uh biggest cost. In 2010 my diesel and trucking was 60k. Be prepared for all night then all day work days during moving season. This is not a 8 to 5 job. Ill be at bluegrass beek school of you want to talk.


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## Bob Nelson (Feb 10, 2005)

Truthful and honest words. So if the 'commercial' beekeeping business has been pretty good the last 10 years why the reluctance to do it again? 

Rick and the other survivors have succeeded by living a life style of seasonally long hours on the road & in the fields. A lifestyle made possible by passion and a unique set of skills in biology, work ethic, management of physical & financial assets, mechanical aptitude and sometimes luck.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

Bob Nelson said:


> Truthful and honest words. So if the 'commercial' beekeeping business has been pretty good the last 10 years why the reluctance to do it again?
> 
> Rick and the other survivors have succeeded by living a life style of seasonally long hours on the road & in the fields. A lifestyle made possible by passion and a unique set of skills in biology, work ethic, management of physical & financial assets, mechanical aptitude and sometimes luck.


Luck...but sometimes its BAD luck like getting stuck in sand at 2 am last week and walking thru orange groves 3 miles in deep loose sand to get pulled out. I was NOT happy. Ended up with 5 hrs combined sleep in two nights...not all that uncommon.
Why not do it again. With the cost today of extracting eqpt, buildings, concrete, inspections, mite control and trucks along with crazy weather I could invest the 400,000k into many other businesses and get a much higher return with alot less work. Then keep a few hives in my backyard and have time to enjoy them and smell the roses.


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## jakeoz65 (Aug 25, 2014)

i am just now reading this. Heck ranger! if your in beech grove I am just down the road in St, Joe. I've had bees for several years now and hope to get bigger. We just get lunch sometime


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*



babybee said:


> I always recommend to work for a beekeeper first. The longer you work in the industry the better chances of later success.


Very well said.


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## rangerbees (Jan 19, 2015)

*Re: comerical beekiping in ky*

hello all just wanted to say thank you for all the great advice as we do now treat with oa as we have grown we have learned alot but allways so much more to learn Kent Williams has tought us so much special thanks to him as well as all of you who have given us advice But most of all we thank God as he has blessed us greatly in this business so far thanks again for all the advice as we grow we have taken ur advice not trying to be treatment free or making own foundation the health of our bees is far more important than being labeld treat free thanks again all


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