Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Bulk honey prices and market outlook

824K views 1K replies 169 participants last post by  The Honey Householder 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Deflation , then inflation and currently a whole bunch of de-leaverageing going on in this crazy economy, which I hear from the majority with crystal balls, that is only going to get worse as a recession or a depression .
Heard some packers had dropped their offering prices......... hadn't noticed any downward pricing going on the store shelf's,to the contrary , prices were actually going up there.
A Canadian honey broker recently had a offer out for 1.50 Canadian,picked up in your yard, drums lost , for 10 loads, alot of phone calls later the order was filled and she is working on another order for the same price,I hear. Canadian dollar was trading around 1.25 US. That may be GOOD PRICE at present market conditions........ but I doubt it.I don't think supply and demand have entered the big picture yet.Other Current Canadian offers were 1.40. UK honey is selling at up to £2.30 per pound in BULK- source Bee -L.
Maybe that supply and demand won't enter the pic if the packers get there way.

I must remind myself that honey is not one of those necessity foods like bread and milk and that I don't need to be quite as greedy as some of those wall street folks
 
#889 ·
I've had calls the past week from NC TN and TX looking for bulk honey. Had to turn them down as we are not taking new customers at the present time. Currant price is ex white clover 2.95 in barbell. Water white locust/bush honeysuckle.3.95. Could have sold it all last week. Folks we have a mess I got a call from been friend in MI bees falling apart. Snotty. Brood no high mite levels. I'm talking 1400 hives. Hearing same thing from mud west and north west. Bees already going downhill. Remember neonnicginoids stay in ground and increase yearly. The bees came up from FL and made a box. Two to three weeks later they started to go downhill. Then they brought last load up...two weeks later and they looked good...after being in MI they start to collapse. Corn all around. My opinion...nictinoids in Henbit and other vegitatio. In and around fields. Looks like a disaster for a crop. Hearing SD looks bad and lits corn where sweet clover/alfalfa use to be...how high will price go and how much adulteration will we see?
 
#891 ·
$2.95, $3.95? News to me and I get a lot of calls as well. I have only heard positive reports up to this point from our area. This isnt really the place for this discussion but snot brood, not EFB? Looking at this logically if the bees were recently brought north and werent on location during corn planting and given the fact that the corn has yet to tassel. Where is the exposure? I am not saying there arent hives with problems, certainly those are disturbing reports, just questioning the certainty with which you are stating the cause.
 
#895 ·
Lots of clover blooming in the alfalfa fields within days of cutting around here. 7-10 days after alfalfa cutting many farmers are spraying it(alfalfa and blooming clover) with Cyhalothrin! Major loss of field bees and queen losses. All the pollen sub in the world isn't going to stop that. Still planting corn here also. That's 2 months of drift contamination!
 
#896 ·
alfalfa cutting many farmers are spraying it(alfalfa and blooming clover) with Cyhalothrin! Major loss of field bees and queen losses. That's 2 months of drift contamination!
Shannon, does many keepers up your way stay in contact with the growers and land owners around the bee yards
to prevent such losses or do they drop the bees and hope for the best?
 
#897 ·
Most of the farmers are aware of the bees in the area. They apparently don't care. One in particular can see my hives from the field he sprayed. He told me he THOUGHT the bees were far enough away.....300 yards is awfully close to be spraying a product that clearly has a warning about honeybees. Also they are applying to vegetation in bloom WHILE THE BEES ARE FORAGING. This is not the property owner where the bee are located.
 
#898 ·
Most of the farmers are aware of the bees in the area. They apparently don't care. .
Well... there you go, there's your answer, It's up to the keeper to make sure that the bees are in safe forage area not anyone else. At the end of the day we as keepers are the ones that pay for it, the farmers are trying to farm, we on the other hand are merrily guesses when we cross pathes, other than pollination. Good luck and hope the bees recover.
 
#901 ·
.......and the farmer is responsible for negligent use of a product. Natural pollinators and other non target species are purposely killed when an applicator misuses the product they are applying.

If that farmers cattle escape off his property then they are fair game?
 
#908 ·
I hear ya Mark and I wont perpetuate the side issue but Rick did give us an intriguing honey price report and some relevant (though troubling) hive condition reports. Considering the fact that this isnt exactly a Beesource hotspot at least somebody is doing something to wake it up.
 
#914 ·
"At those prices, though, the biggest consideration needs to be given to the specifics of the agreement regarding honey grading, d"rum return and, most importantly who you are comfortable doing business with. A few cents a pound can become a minor consideration if you get docked or if you spend too much time looking at an empty mail box


Precisely Why we we joined Sue BEE, tired of playing games with US
private packers....Canadian producers maybe a dime a dozen, but we prefer not to give it away, it is of the same quality if not better than US midwest honey,we get a fair return for, on , our investment in Sue, it certainly wouldn't be the highest price paid, nor will it be the lowest, it is however a good, fair price, drums exchanged, I pay the brokerage,They pay the freight from my door, those people know how
to treat people.... or should I should I say members. Proud to be a member of Sue Bee
 
#920 ·
Jim, I haven't seen the market softening at all in the East, because of the rain. Packer calling me has quoted price at $2.25 and others have called to check the price and price being quoted at $2.15. So it depends on if the packer calls you or you call the packer on what you will get.:scratch:
Sounds like packers games to me.

Anyway you look at it. its not a bad price.
 
#926 ·
Drums at $1.90 each? They'll all be gone by the time I can get there.

Or did you mean that Dutch Gold is selling barrels of honey at $1.90 per pound? I find that hard to believe too, unless that's Bakery Grade Honey. Which seems low to me too.

Better ask your friend for an explanation. I guess empty drums could be going for $1.90/lb, but that seems pretty high. That's close to $90.00 per drum.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top