Payment for apairy site

[spencer]

I have 3 hives (from swarms this year) at a friend of mine's house. She said I could put as many hives on her land as I wanted to (5 acres). She said the other day that she was looking to get a gallon of honey for letting me keep them on her land. Is this the going rate?

[BjornBee]

Heck NO! I expect alot more then a gallon of honey for keeping my bees on someone's property.

[deantn]

Heck NO! I expect alot more then a gallon of honey for keeping my bees on someone's property.

Good one I'd expect a whole lot more than a gallon from a couple of hives located in an out yard.
Not exactly what I would offer them after they said you could put a few hives on their property but well worth the price if you get any honey from those hives.

[Dan Williamson]

I worked out a deal with a guy that wanted to exchange some honey for an apiary location. We agreed at 1lb/hive. I currently have 18 hives at that particular location with room for approx 32. It is a perfect location. Water nearby. Shelter in the form of a horseshoe around it all winter. Keeps nearly all wind off the hives and gets full sun during the cold winter days. 8 acres of wild blackberries around it.

When I brought the honey to them last year they just about fell over. "His wife said.... I had no idea that 18lbs was so much" I can't use all of that. I told her to give some away if she wanted to. Looks like they don't want as much this year. So i'm getting a great spot for less than I expected.

[honeyman46408]

I have a spot close by and have NO agreement with the land owner other than I can keep bees there so I tell her never to run out of honey, oh and did I say thoes hives produce twice as much as the ones I have here

[okb]

One out yard - one nuc per year so far.

[Chef Isaac]

I pay the people who own the land about 1 quart per site.

[livetrappingbymatt]

some of my yards get more rent than others but they are worth the extra!
last year my truck broke so i enlisted my son in laws help and truck.when we hit two of my yards the owners were there in less time than takes too write this,checking on the strange truck looking at the bees! it gives you a good feeling when you know your bees are guarded 24/7/365.
bob

[Gregg]

It depends on the landowner and how much they want in my situation. I know many commercial beeks who give a five gallon pail to their landowners every year and they never use that much, so it just get stockpiled in their basement. So I ask my landowners "how much do you want" and that's what I give them (within reason). And I tell them to call me during the year if they run out and need more.

[Dan Williamson]

some of my yards get more rent than others but they are worth the extra!
last year my truck broke so i enlisted my son in laws help and truck.when we hit two of my yards the owners were there in less time than takes too write this,checking on the strange truck looking at the bees! it gives you a good feeling when you know your bees are guarded 24/7/365.
bob

Good point.

My yards are the same. I have this one yard where i buried my truck in a snowbank trying to get to the bees to feed in March and the landowner came out when he got home 2hrs later and helped me get out... Then he offered to let me use one of those golf cart looking vehicles that's John Deere with a dump bed in the back to get to my bees when the road was too muddy one time.

Those kinds of places are worth the rent.

[berkshire bee]

I have hives on a dairy farm where I put 2 new 3 lb packages last year. We got over 200 lbs of honey. I gave her 2 cases of 1/2 lb jars of honey. I have 4 hives there this year with room for more when I can afford them. She will still be happy with 12 lbs of honey and also offered to let me sell it there too. They currently are licensed to sell raw milk, eggs and cheese.

[Andrew@ThreeElms]

spencer,

The question isn't "how much is the going rate" it's "do you want to keep your hives there?" You are there at her pleasure, she is the land owner. How much is the site worth to you?

Of course you can negotiate more or less, but it may also affect the good will, or cause her to let someone else bring in their hives. You have to see/know the person to be able to judge that.

[Ruben]

I am paying two pound of honey per hive I keep on someones property 5 hives=10lbs, they have not asked for anything and are glad to have them. I came up with that in a Richard Taylor book that I read one time he wrote that was what he paid and what he considered to be fair. He also wrote that one land owner got greeding and tried to up the amounts and he packed up his hives and moved them.

[CWBees]

I have the potental to expand into out yard north of me in an area with plenty of fields and farm land. The only problem would be bears. I know the owner and she isn't asking for any rent. Given the bees are benifical to the local farms and gardens I would think you could get a yard rent free and if on a farm get paid when crops that benifit from the bees are present.

[BjornBee]

"At her pleasure"

Huh? I thought the opening comment mentions a "friend". I have helped many "friends" without asking for payment, or demanding compensation. Not sure what was worse....Having your "friend" expect something for helping you, or you needing to ask what the going rate is.

I question your friends motives and character since she is not willing to help a so-called "friend" without expecting compensation.

I question the beekeeper for needing to actually seek outside guidance and advice on what the "going rate" is. Whether its too much or not enough...were talking about a friend right?

Friends do things for each other without expectations or demands.

I think the whole opeing post is very funny, and very sad at the same time.

My advice...Get a new so-called "friend", and keep your bees somewhere else.

[CWBees]

My friend in Northern NJ thinks it is great that I am keeping bees which NJ really needs and she wants to help out the best she can by letting me keep bees on her property. Maybe I can convince her to take up beekeeping. I also have a dairy farmer friend in the same area that probably wouldn't mind me keeping bees on his property. I would like to show him some articles of how bees benefit any of the crops he grows.

[MountainCamp]

I keep the land owners of any of my out yards in personal use honey.
It winds up being about a case or less per year per yard.
I come out far ahead in the end.

[Jeffzhear]

My landowners are happier then clams in sand that they have honeybees on their land. Most don't want a thing in return, however, I deliver honey each fall to them...most don't want much, just enough for themselves. Once in awhile someone will ask for an extra jar for family, so I give it to them gladly. And even once in awhile one will insist that he pay me for extra jars...