If You Could Start All Over Again...

[greenbeekeeping]

Hmmm. I think I would change alot of things. I would have bought all W clip pallets instead of the U clip pallets. I would buy all shallow honey supers instead of having Deeps, mediums and shallows. I prefer shallows, I don't know why but i do. Also I think I would go oldschool and move away from plastic foundation for wax wired foundation. No plastic frames at all. Which is something I believe that I am going to start doing this next year. Good old wood and wax just like Dad taught me but without the eyelets because that just sucks. Haha. Also would of taken a job with a commercial operation that we could eventually buy out.

[Ian]

Hard to say, easy answer would be uniformity and streamline, but I didnt start with money, or the real answer on how I wanted to run my operation. It wasnt till after I ran with the various types of equipment and management strategies that I was able to focus on my way of running this business.
All the different types of equipment is starting to get in the way, but think I have figured how I like to do things, so I will be investing alot of money to change things over.
And the change is to migratory pallets, w clips, two deep brood chambers and migratory lids. No more single hive yard layout, no more pallets and straps. Just migratory 4 way pallets, a skid steer and a flat deck.

[Grant]

I keep thinking about this question.

If I had to do it all over again, I would keep my "day job," but I would work in a field that gave me my summers off. Perhaps teaching would create a span of open time in the summer for me to dedicate the time to my bees.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[SMHC]

I think about this question all the time too, and, after reading most of the comments (and all the posts in the commercial forum in general), I was going to rephrase it: Which day job would you have picked?

I think teaching's the answer for sure, particularly if you can teach post-secondary and get off work a little earlier in the spring. If you want low dough/low stress, being a liftie at a ski hill wouldn't be too bad either. At least you'd get a free pass.

[longrangedog]

An aquaintence of mine is a fireman and can count on having 3 to 4 days a week off. He has 100 to 125 hives, two terrific, hardworking teenage sons, locations in north Georgia for the sourwood flow and south Georgia for the tupelo flow. He's using the south Georgia location for early spring build up and splitting and going into nuc production/sales.

[mcgarry]

I kept bees for 21 years from 1969-1990 then sold them to pursue other interests--the bees kept calling and after a 14 year hiatus I re-entered the business and this time started with all 8 frame deeps--I'm enjoying the sameness of all boxes and less weight to lug to the honey pallets during harvest. So, I'm glad I made the decision to go 8frames-all deep.

[Riverdog]

Considering your main objective is to be persuaded one way or another, this is in no way meant to achieve that goal but hopefully you and others can celebrate the ideas. Beekeeping it really tuff no matter where you live. ( you already know that.) My wife and I have been in the bread bakery business for over 12 years, which is less tuff, yet really demanding. At our bakery we use A LOT of honey. So about four or five years ago I bought 25 hives, we now run 500. I bought a F550 16’6” flat bed and a swinger. I go to almonds, and we sell bees. I really don’t see how we can’t get by without all of these aspects. We only run doubles and we only use mediums for honey with wood frames with plastic foundation, and have plastic frames as back up. We currently run about ten locations. I pick a few new areas up each year. And last year I brought on a partner that still has a full time job yet wants additional income. I’ve bought enough new boxes to go to 800 in 2010. I want a better honey house but we just use that bakery at this point in the evenings during the summer but I’m contemplating on outsourcing our extraction process to another nearby keeper. (frankly I don’t want the facility, liability or cashed tied up for a process we only use for weeks of the year.) So far no major regrets yet I do wish I would of just bought a truck load of bees a few years back after almonds from some reputable keeper. Here are the finer points that you already know but asked for additional input: If you’ve read this far and your under 50 and don’t have a college degree stop everything and go get one. Get a degree in Business or Accounting. Then write a business plan. Get a SBL and start a business that eats honey all day long and night. Even when you’re sleeping it eats it. Then grow your bee business to match it. Buy new trucks or low mile trucks, new frames and boxes, and call me in the morning and tell me about it! Good Luck

Chad Ragland

[AllTek]

I remember the feeling well. A decent relatively successful first year with my 50 or so hives (bought from a retiring beekeeper) and all winter was spent plotting my expansion (I lived in NY at this time). From there, over the next twenty years or so, there were many ups and downs. I managed, at one point to reach just over 500 colonies only to come out the following spring to find 40 hives alive (**** the mites). The long and the short of it is that I wouldn't trade any of the experience for anything (some of the most peaceful times I can remember happened in bee yards), but in the end the girls will break your heart.