Renting Bee's

**chevydmax04** · 05-18-2009, 07:47 PM

I am new to bee keeping and I am finding to be very relaxing and enjoyable to me. Question I have is I drive by huge apple orchards daily, I see them starting to bloom and I see an opportunity place hives and make some extra money. This would be a 2010 thing but I am wondering how much the growers pay to have hives brought into their fields for pollination services.

Thanks
Steve

**dbest** · 05-19-2009, 05:52 AM

For me it depends on how many hives they take and what they are pollinating. For cherries, blueberries and most of the apples its between 45-50 per hive. I have a few apple orchards that don't spray so I leave the hives there all summer and charge 25 per hive just to justify taking them north earlier than I'd like to.

**AndreiRN** · 05-19-2009, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by chevydmax04

This would be a 2010 thing but I am wondering how much the growers pay to have hives brought into their fields for pollination services.

Knock in the door and ask.

**dbest** · 05-19-2009, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by AndreiRN

Knock in the door and ask.

I would knock ON the door...if you knock it IN you might get shot.

**The Honey Householder** · 05-19-2009, 07:15 PM

Get what ever you can. I get from some $85 per hive and others I get all the fruit I want. My wife likes the fruit and I like the money.

**chad** · 05-19-2009, 07:56 PM

do you charge per week?

**chevydmax04** · 05-20-2009, 07:05 AM

That was going to be my next question, is that per week, month or the duration of the bloom for that particular crop.

**dbest** · 05-20-2009, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by chevydmax04

That was going to be my next question, is that per week, month or the duration of the bloom for that particular crop.

My fees are for the duration of the bloom.

**swarm_trapper** · 05-20-2009, 07:35 AM

Originally Posted by The Honey Householder

Get what ever you can. I get from some $85 per hive and others I get all the fruit I want. My wife likes the fruit and I like the money.

what do you pollinate ron? my guys would not pay if i went that high. $48 is what i get in the berries

**Bud Dingler** · 05-20-2009, 10:01 AM

i just got my checks for $60 on apples for under 32 hives. price breaks to $50 for more then 32 hives.

there is always some bottom feeder out there willing to rent for nothing. quality bees with 6 or more frames of bees rent for more then a package with hardly any brood.

**dbest** · 05-20-2009, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Bud Dingler

i just got my checks for $60 on apples for under 32 hives. price breaks to $50 for more then 32 hives.

there is always some bottom feeder out there willing to rent for nothing. quality bees with 6 or more frames of bees rent for more then a package with hardly any brood.

I hope thats not a referance to me. I have never met a "bottem feeder" there is no competion for pollination. I can charge lower prices because I rent more than 5 hives at time.

**HarryVanderpool** · 05-22-2009, 04:23 AM

I try to avoid using the term "renting bees".
This implies that if the grower pays the "rent" they are intitled to do whatever they want with or around the hives.
Like let their neighbor or brother in law who "knows something about bees" look around in hives for example.
Or move them around with a tractor after you are gone.
All of this is covered in a good pollination contract that specifies in bold that the hives are nor to be touched or disturbed in any way.
The contract allows for hive inspection at the growers request, having the beekeeper opening and working in the hive at that time.

**dbest** · 05-22-2009, 06:23 AM

I use the term rent because that's what I do. If you RENT bees they fall under rental income and the money is not subject to self employment tax.

**Keith Jarrett** · 05-22-2009, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by dbest

I use the term rent because that's what I do. If you RENT bees they fall under rental income and the money is not subject to self employment tax.

HA, good luck on that one.

**Tom G. Laury** · 05-22-2009, 09:48 AM

Yup, been tried before. IRS disagrees.

**dbest** · 05-22-2009, 07:03 PM

Um ok well, 2500 hives and have been filing that way for 42 years (well my father has been). It is a rental, not a service. The grower rents the bees for the duration of the bloom if it rains the whole time and the crops don't get pollinated I still get paid.

**Tom G. Laury** · 05-22-2009, 07:12 PM

I wish you the best, really...

But beekeepers that have gone head to head with the IRS on this issue have been disappointed.

**The Honey Householder** · 05-22-2009, 07:37 PM

Maybe my CPA doesn't understand renting. I haven't paid self employment tax on the rentals.

Sorry Tom

**The Honey Householder** · 05-22-2009, 07:44 PM

But wait I rent all my hives out to those little bees. I only make them pay rent twice a year. The only thing is they pay in HONEY. So do I have to pay self employment tax on the honey sales too.