# Almond Horror Stories day late for halloween



## Matt Beekman (Dec 15, 2007)

:applause::applause::applause::applause:


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

Good one Brent!! Course, you're not talking about anyone _we_ know are you?
Sheri


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Lotsa laughsa!

Of course that was LAST YEAR, right? 

This year should be even better!


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

I have heard nothing but bad stuff from sending hive out there, how much are they offering per hive that guys still do it?


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

Well, Brac, most people that go to Vegas lose money too but the casinos are always crowded, lol.

Seriously, contracts for good bees are anywhere from $120-150 this year from what I am hearing. The trick is having the bees and getting the contract. 
T'aint for the weak of heart, that's for sure.
Sheri


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Bees are being offered at $100 in quantity. Some are still holding out at $165.

Until you see a snow pack in the Sierras, anybody's guess where it will go. 

Most of the winter storms come after New Year. If the bees come out without contracts, then no rain, whoopee!


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

Anyone know if Paramount has set a price?
Sheri


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## mbholl (Dec 16, 2007)

I heard Paramount $130 with bonus possible. Heard another broker looking for bees, offering $100.


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## beebze (Sep 24, 2007)

I heard of a broker offering $90. 

Just out of curiosity where's paramount farms at? Probably down by Bakersfield would be my guess.

Nice halloween tale.

Andy


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

beebze said:


> I heard of a broker offering $90. Andy


Was the broker looking for bees to represent or offering to provide bees for $90?
Sheri


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## Johnny (Sep 7, 2007)

. Love the scary story!


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

with big money talk the lure.

This attitude is like getting into the vortex of a Black Hole.
I have seen empty pallets, many of them, left in the staging areas as late as June -August.
The city of Lost Wages;
I know of several bee keepers that enjoy the casinos. Well, sort of----
It's soooooooo tempting to do a long haul into and out of the almonds.
It's more comforting not to be greedy and have something that's more economical.
Ernie


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## simplyhoney (Sep 14, 2004)

Thanks all. Sheri/John the story was actually wrtten for this up and comming group of bee keepers who seem to think that commercial beekeeping is a good retirement plan. You know the ones.... been reading about the bee disaters in the media... pulling the 401k money out of the market...saw The last beekeeper, and thought "I can save the bees." They then proceed to tell you about bees, and brag on there 20lb per hive honey crop. The whole time undercutting pollenation prices and getting themselves in wrecks as mentioned in the story. Know any of these?
I had heard a few stories of similar ilk about some mid-westerns. Mostly I just like pickin on Mid westerns and Eastcoast folks.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

simplyhoney said:


> Mostly I just like pickin on Mid westerns and Eastcoast folks.


Sheesh, and I didn't even know I was being picked on, lol. Shows how oblivious _I_ am.:doh:

Yeah, we know a few of those folks too. Pie in the sky, no idea what they are getting into and you can't tell them, they won't listen. One here started out with 6 colonies (a pretty big start from not knowing what a beehive is) and thinks he can build to the point of being commercial in a few years from splits. Actually he is much better off than the ones that strip the retirement fund, his niavete won't bankrupt him.
You would think the "Last Beekeeper" would be very sobering to newbees, is it having the other effect?
Sheri


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Problem is, it isn't big money lure anymore, with the poor honey crops it's ANY money lure. Will beekeepers haul out here for $100? Darn tootin. Gotta have that cash flow. The water issue is huge. The west side orchards had trouble enough getting financing for 2009. Without surface water available they are out of business. All those bees are going to be fighting scratching and clawing for money. People are told time and again not to come without contracts, but come empty handed anyway.


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## beebze (Sep 24, 2007)

Sheri:

Looking for bees to represent. This came from a friend I talked to. 

Andy


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## simplyhoney (Sep 14, 2004)

Word to that! my bees are African-American-European. They "represent" all contienents with their "shotty" (i.e. shotgun stingers) LOL 
Just kidding, what do you mean by "represent"?


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## Bens-Bees (Sep 18, 2008)

JohnK and Sheri said:


> You would think the "Last Beekeeper" would be very sobering to newbees, is it having the other effect?
> Sheri


Definately. You can't show people making a living (even a "hard" living) working bees, then expect a cubicle job to look good to the viewer. I decided that I'd rather be stuggling to make the ends meet while doing what I love than to keep sitting in front of this dang computer for the rest of my life. I'm sure there are others that felt the same way when they watched it.


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## RDY-B (May 20, 2007)

STMAJ did you ever get your first hive up and running  I have often wondered if you might have just decideed to plant some flowers to atract bees or if you tried again  RDY-B


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## Bens-Bees (Sep 18, 2008)

Oh yeah Rdy-B, They are looking good, too. Really good. Had more bees this year than boxes to put them in. I'm hoping to get up to 25 hives by this time next year. If next years' swarms are anything like this years' were, that won't be any problem at all, the only trouble will be building boxes fast enough.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

For 90-120 dollars I'm not fighting Barney Fife (AKA CA Ag inspection border control). I'll stay in Fl make splits to sell, increase hive numbers and try to make a crop of orange!


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## wfarler (Jul 9, 2003)

JohnK and Sheri said:


> Sheesh, and I didn't even know I was being picked on, lol. Shows how oblivious _I_ am.:doh:
> 
> Yeah, we know a few of those folks too. Pie in the sky, no idea what they are getting into and you can't tell them, they won't listen. One here started out with 6 colonies (a pretty big start from not knowing what a beehive is) and thinks he can build to the point of being commercial in a few years from splits. Actually he is much better off than the ones that strip the retirement fund, his niavete won't bankrupt him.
> You would think the "Last Beekeeper" would be very sobering to newbees, is it having the other effect?
> Sheri


It's called Spreadsheet Beekeeping. The theoretical limit of splitting is 64 colonies per package per year. I think you have to use royal jelly mixed with jello you get from some eastern european dude in canada to duplicate the results but with 6 packages you are pretty well assured to be at 1 semi in year two and then 10,000 colonies in year 3. That's when you have to hire a helper.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

I gotta get me some of that jello.
Sheri


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

please buy two packs of that jello for me sheri.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

JohnK and Sheri said:


> I gotta get me some of that jello.
> Sheri


It's sitting right here in blue tubs.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

Well......here sits one of them guys that started with 6 packages. Lost em all that first year.......Wouldn't give up though, bought 6 nucs the next year instead of packages and started doing cutouts (not for free), ended up the year with 27 colonies......bought 26 nucs the next year (financed with cutout revenue) and continued doing cutouts ended the year with 60+ colonies.....every year after that I bought queens and did splits after the flow and continued doing cutouts....... so far, all I can manage along with my day job is around 100+ colonies going into winter each year. I split and do cutouts and my colony count peaks in August near 150 but after deadouts and combines in the fall, a little over 100 seems to be the limit..........until I pull my 401k and go full time that is. 

PS: I have absolutely no intention of ever going "into the almonds", but I may be interested in a load or two coming out of the almonds next spring (paid for with 401k funds ).....just kidding...on the 401k that is, not on the bee loads.


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## wfarler (Jul 9, 2003)

my bees are the best performing account in my 401k. 

Not to belittle this guy (see link below) but I am sceptical even if they did get apimondia to publish their paper. Just don't buy off on any version that the concoctor won't say what they are selling (Nosevit, Caspian, whatever). I think you were kidding Sheri when you said you wanted two. I think it is stuff like this that people use for their assumptions in their spreadsheets. I personallly think increasing from 1 package to 64 hives producing surplus is a better assumption for a go bankrupt business plan. In fact every bad business plan needs a big spreadsheet to keep the owner out of the bee yard and sitting in front of the computer. However, if you want to be more conservative these guys only claim 1:10 and you get to keep the bucket it comes in. Gotta go feed bees now.

http://caspianapiaries.com/products.htm

[PDF] INCREASING FROM 100 TO 1000 HIVES IN THREE MONTHS Introduction ... File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
caspian solution (a stimulative supplement containing royal jelly, pheromones and ... At the beginning of the week each colony received 6 liters of caspian ...
www.apimondia.org/apiacta/slovenia/en/yeganehrad.pdf - Similar


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## MadBowbee (Oct 10, 2006)

No, I heard 140 for paramount. I think we'll come down from 150 to 140 for this year.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

wfarler writes:
I think you were kidding Sheri when you said you wanted two.

tecumseh:
sheri only want one pack of jello and I am the one who want two. this time of year the jello just stretches further in michigan than in texas.

100 to 1000 in three months huh? the 100 must have been awfully large and the 1000 awfully small???


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