Queen Production Cost

[Velbert]

Here is a few figures on the cost of raising queens

Wage $10.00 Hr.

Hours 440 this includes Grafting,Restocking some,feeding,catching queens,Placing queen cells, feeding

ave 4.16 Sale Queens per Nuc

Cost Per queen to produce $9.19 that is counting price of breeder Queen, gas Feed, Labor an a average in the cost of nuc box

averaged about 0.62 Hrs per queen

Had 11.31 lbs HFCS in each Nuc about 2.74 per queen

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g307/vlwbee/100_1318.jpg

GRAFTED 1600 queen cells lost a few grafts to virgins getting into cell builder,also lost few graft to weather couldn't place cell into some of nuc. some cell builders grafts compleated at higher % of the cells cups, Then you have a few damaged cells and you have to re cell with a ripe cell some time the virgins just disappears. You have to redo these.

Going to make up a more detailed Excell spread sheet to show what the queen breeder has in their production.

[honeyshack]

i would be interested in your final results.

[Velbert]

ok I will post a link for down load when I am finished.

just doing it in spare time when good thoughts come to me on how to do it

[TwT]

i would be interested also.



that is counting price of breeder Queen
and what price are you adding for breeders?

[Velbert]

$340.00 Russian from Charlie Harper

$240.00 for 2 queens from Glens 1 VSH/Russian and 1 VSH/MNH price of breeders and shipping

[TwT]

Cost Per queen to produce $9.19 that is counting price of breeder Queen, gas Feed, Labor an a average in the cost of nuc box



and this is based on 1600 cells?

Dang Velbert, (I was looking at your page, nice site by the way) with those figures you might should re think your pricing;
with those figures above and you sell Queens 89 & Over for Only $10.50 each that means you are just making $1.31 a queen profit. am I missing something here?
maybe I am not using the right numbers here. I never thought about what I put into making queens, I am really interested in seeing how you figured it out!!

[Velbert]

TwT

The $10.00 wage was for me If I can Triple my production I can Hire some help and make a profit off their work plus my wage while I am working them, will likely go up a little but for now the way the economy is I am mainly creating a job for me and Loving it.

[TwT]

I understand that man, I am sure many beekeepers would love to work bee's for a living, I wish you luck on your career!

[JBJ]

I agree with TWT, your quantity prices seem really low. Between feeding, grafting, mating and maturing one would have well over a month in every queen; and even then not every cell put out will yield a well mated queen. Can you actually afford to pay yourself $10 an hour if most of your queens happened to sell at the larger quantity prices? Perhaps your operational cost are much lower than mine.

[Matt Beekman]

TwT

The $10.00 wage was for me

:lpf::lpf::lpf::lpf:

[TwT]

isn't this about the going rates now for queens across the board, I know some are cheaper but some are higher also, I am just figuring this is average price charged by most queen producers.

Queens

1-5 $22.00/each

6-20 20.00

21-49 19.00

50-99 17.00

100-499 15.00

500+ 14.00

Clipping or Marking $1.50/ea.

[TwT]

Velbert don't get me wrong, you sale at your choice price wise, but you should be paying yourself more an hour for all the work and investment you do. just something to think about.

[JBJ]

I agree, one can not hire a seasoned/experienced beek around here $10 an hour. On the outside chance you are ever in Oregon and looking for bee work, give me a call!

[Velbert]

Thanks Guys for all the input

May have to take you up on that JBJ

[Gene Weitzel]

I agree, one can not hire a seasoned/experienced beek around here $10 an hour. On the outside chance you are ever in Oregon and looking for bee work, give me a call!

In Texas and surrounding states, wages are much lower due to illegal alien influx and much lower housing prices as compared to the West Coast. You would be surprised at the skill you can buy for $10.00/hr or less. Not saying that I agree with it, just pointing our the reality.

[beedeetee]

In Washington our minimum wage has been $8.55/hr since the first of the year.

[Velbert]

Here is a EXCELL sheet for building nuc Just enter your number of pieces and measurement's and it will figure all the material you will need

also enter you hourly time and your shop cost with utilities it will figure up your more actual cost to cut out and build and paint and use of your shop and tools

you also can enter how many you want to build it will show you what you will need to buy and the amount of pieces

you will have to enter your board size and price per board
paint cost,nail cost or staples,ect..

I have left some figures in the sheet to give you an idea how it works
you can change the blue entries

the measurement's can be changed but you will need the password send me an e-mail and I will send it to you

I want to Wish every One a very Good Christmas and wish you the best in the up coming bee year

velbertw@windstream.net


http://www.box.net/shared/3x9o6xrxif

[Velbert]

If you have allready downloaded

please redownload I had to do some readjusting http://www.box.net/shared/3x9o6xrxif (http://www.box.net/shared/3x9o6xrxif)