# What to pay for yard rent?



## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

we give 24 12oz bears for average rent. 60# seems high to me. my son get less than 100 dollars per acre for land rent and this is clear farm land. most bees are on scrub or usless land. sounds like she wants to be your partner without the work.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I agree. Sixty lbs per yard is high, unless it is a really good location. I think your two gallons was about right if not generous. I don't pay per colony, but per yard.

What is your negotiating position? You don't have to keep bees there, do you? And she invited you to keep bees there for a fee. She must not have expresed what she was hoping for before hand. Figure out what you think is reasonable and negotiate from there.

Does she garden? She is already getting benefit from your bees being there.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

One half to one gallon per yard is normal. Some want a little more but usually can't even eat a gallon over a years' time. Last year a couple of our grove owners wanted 2 dozen 1 lb bottles each for Xmas gifts; no problem there, and we actually gave them 30 jars each. 5 gallons for 9 hives is way over common courtesy; she's probably selling your honey. I'd pay her and move my bees out of that yard and wish her a happy life! Most landowners let us keep bees on their property without expectation of rewards, and are happy with whatever we bring them. BTW, in 50 years messing with bees I've never had to "pay" for yard rent. Too many freebies with decent folks to do that. Think FIMO, forget it move on!


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## [email protected] (May 12, 2010)

I pay 1 case of 2lb jars for rent for a yard with 10 -12 hives. If they want more than that I would move the bees. We provide a free pollination service to all people within a two mile radius of our yards so one case to the land owner is enough.


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

I give my landowner a quart. I currently have 5 hives on his property and have had as many as 8 or 9 there. He's very happy to get the quart and did not ask for it. If he had, I would begin looking to move the bees. If he'd wanted more that that, I'd have moved them immediately. -james


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

around a gallon per bee yard is fair. I have around 40 colonies average per yard. TED


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Wow, five gallons of honey for rent.........5 gallons = about 60 pounds of honey @ $7 a pound = $430 for yard rent. Even at $5 a pound thats $300 for yard rent. Seems REALLY steep to me!! 

I have one lady in town that was extatic that I was going to give her some honey at all!! I told her I was going to give her a case and she was absolutely tickled!! She never made no mention of WANTING honey at all, she just likes bees!

I would ask around and perhaps find somewhere else to put your bee's, or explain to her how much it costs to keep bees, how much equipment is, gas prices and thats not without your time factored in, if you want to that is!


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I am a cheap German like frugal Ted, 5 quarts a year. 

Crazy Roland


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm cheaper yet, 4 quarts a year. Whether or not the bees make honey there that year. And if they have some honey left over, I offer to give them some in bears in case they want to give it away... makes for very good relations with the landowner, and they don't mind me appearing at all hours of the day or night (when I move bees for instance.)
Regards,
Steven


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

Depending on what I am using the yard fors depends on what I pay the folks. However my payments range anywhere from leaving colonies on their property for them to rob honey from to as low as 1lbs per colony. Generally they get over a gallon of honey from me.

If I had 9 or 10 colonies on someones yard and they asked for 5 gallons of honey I wouldn't say much to them. I would just remove those colonies and look elsewhere, as they have unrealistic expectations and will probably become an issue for you in the future. Most the farmers I put hives on to run for honey could care less about the honey, they are just happy to have the bees on their land and the honey is a sweet bonus.


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## losloboid (May 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the info. No I did not ask to put the hives there and I don't need to be there. I don't do this commercially, and I didn't want to cheat her. We will have an open discussion and if she wants more than 1 pound per hive this coming season, I guess my bees won't be on her farm.

Thanks again to all who responded!!


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## BMAC (Jun 23, 2009)

I think you are making the right choice. I had to have another beekeeper extract my honey one year so I was asking around who would be willing to do it. It ended up costing me 15% of my crop which I believe is a little steep but one guy wanted 50% of my honey just to extract it. I quickly told him I appreciate it and didn't further discuss it with him.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Personally I think it is a mistake to even talk to the landowner about how many hives you plan on having in a yard only that you need a very small area in an out of the way place with good access. If they ask about numbers just be vague and say that it would vary not only from year to year but at different times of the year. If that isn't good enough pick a high number and say that would be a rough average. What ever you may feel is a fair amount I do think should be applied equally to all locations, people do talk and compare notes. We usually give half rent if the location isn't utilized that year and double rent if we use it as a holding yard.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

losloboid,

Not that you have to say and I hope you don't mind, but how many gallons did you get from the bees? Does she have a garden, etc. that she benefits from pollination from your bees? I don't know if she knows the work, expense and risk (of loss) with beekeeping.


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## Bella Honey (Sep 4, 2011)

I keep my bees on about 30 acres and the land owner contacted me to keep my bees there for tax purpose, good deal for both of us


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I am looking at possibly placing hives on other peoples land in the future. So I have thought this issue over a fair bit. I am also pretty hard nosed when it comes to business so this does not apply if I have a friend that wanted a hive or anything like that. this is simply looking at the numbers and my business experience and saying what is what for me.

I can purchase a hive fro roughly $300. I can build one btu I consider it the same cost. I just paid that cost in a different way. I then add $125 worth of bees and an estimated $50 a year in care. This does not even include my time. At the end of one year I have what will amount to a hive that might survive winter. has a bunch of drawn frames in it. propolis bees that are full of venom, wax, and maybe enough honey for only the bees. I have seen figures as high as $1500 on the value of this object. So in short I have started with nothing and covered the entire expense in every way of producing a $1500 item. An item that may very well produce some of that value in the form of income in the following year. probably could result in some of that income even in the first year. Suppose I made a split and sold a nuc for example. Produced a few queens from the hive etc. All of these earning area a result of my knowledge work and investment. The land owner on the other hand has provided a spot of land. I will say for the purpose of this train of thought they allow me to fence in 1/8th of an acre. I provide the fence and the labor. again the full expense is on me. travel to manage the hives is also fully my expense.

So what is the value of the 1/8th acre. I know I can buy 5 aces of land and a home for less than $50,000 around here. Just land would be less than $25,000 right now. so lets say the land is worth $10,000 an acre just to be safe. So we have the land owners $1250 worth of land compared to my approx $1500 contribution. This does not include any travel. any time or any fence yet. But you can already see how in my mind it is ridiculous to think I am going to pay a land owner even more to keep hives on their property. Just how fast do I really want to be bankrupt. I have looked at this much further here at home than I will go into here on this thread. but in the end the very best share I see a land owner will end up with even when profits do come in is about 10%. this is factoring in all costs, labor, travel etc. They contribute at best 10% of the investment. Now if you place more than one hive on that 8th of an acre. the land owners contribution dwindles to almost nothing. 10 hives for example woudl cut there percent of the investment to 1%. 1% of ten hives profit that is. In the end I don't see the land owner being owed much of anything if the number of hives is realistic at all. I don't see anyone going to all the trouble for just one hive. In that case a hive produces 100 lbs of excess honey. the land owner has 1 lb coming to them. if bees are sold they should receive 1% of that money, etc. It is after all an investment and a risk. no investment has guarantee profits. it isn't for you and it should not be for the land owner. Land value will vary wildely from location to location. land is expensive here.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

The key is finding the right site, preferably ground that has virtually no value for anything else. The amount of land that you actually "use" is pretty much a non factor. Access without driving over crops or making ruts, though, is very important. I prefer to never have to drive close to a home as there is always the danger of getting someone stung as bees follow your vehicle on the way out. Just be very clear with the landowner what your experience has shown works best and emphasize that you will respect the land as if it were yours. In a location that you may be moving it is also good to tell the landowner not to be alarmed if you see us driving in at night as that is often the only good time to move bees. Respect and communication are very important. Daniel: $1500 per hive??? I'm rich!


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## WilliamsHoneyBees (Feb 17, 2010)

Most people I keep bees on don't expect anything. I pay them 3 pounds a hive for the producing hives. Usually I have 10 nucs on the property that I don't pay anything for. Almost always they say I am giving them to much, but i give it anyway and tell them to share with their family and friends. I have one lady that I have known for the majority of my life (which is the way with most of the people I keep bees on) she calls me all the time with a list of honey that she sold at her work. I drop off the honey and she writes me a check for it. You talk about a great place to keep bees!!!


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## NDnewbeek (Jul 4, 2008)

I usually give them some of what I harvest on a per hive basis, since I am small scale. The landowners who let me on their place really don't expect anything, but if I harvest any surplus, I make sure that they get about 5lbs per hive that produces (I don't have a yard with more than 6 hives at it) for the years rent. Since all the landowners are friends and neighbors, I don't mind giving more when I have a good year and they don't mind not getting any during the bad. I figure that it all evens out over time.

I have had years where I didn't harvest anything - so I can't keep hives anyplace where the landowner expects honey every year. Otherwise some years, I would end up having to buy them honey!


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

Jim, you are correct in trying to find a spot that appears to be of no value. But I have had the following happen on several occasions. I seem to pick the best housing sites on the property. It never fails, "My daughter is getting married soon and she wants her husband and her to build a house right where your bees are. I know the bees have been there for a gazzillion years, so I hope you wouldnt mind moving them like next week." So I mumble that I will, and mumble a curse that your grandchildren will be born balledheaded and naked. Luckily ,we are usually able to place the bees on an even more "undesirable" spot on the landowners property. TED


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

ted that reminds me of a goal I had when I started beekeeping. buy your beeyards as you grow. no one can throw you out and if you buy good building lots they can be sold as part of retirement. the problem was starting out there was no extra money to invest but I still believe the theory was correct. too late now.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Ted: I hear ya, I've had some bizarre ones as well. Long before we were palletized I got a call at about 9 in the evening that they were planning on bulldozing the woods that I had 30 hives in first thing in the morning and if it wouldn't be a problem..........naaaa heck no, the landowner is always the boss, they mostly had a box of honey on them probably averaged at least 150 pounds each. That was a blast at about 5 in the morning. Sorry I knowt: but on the other hand maybe not too far. These scenarios are all things you should factor in your decision in what is a fair payment.


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