Services Included
Hive Purchase |
I would be responsible for purchasing all of the hive components and the bees, including a specially-ordered queen. (I find pure-bred Italians and Carnolians are the friendliest varieties). The basic package includes 3 medium depth, 10-frame hive boxes, and 1 deep, 10 frame box, painted white and assembled. A bottom board and telescoping hive cover. Wooden frames with wired wax foundation to fill all of the boxes. (30 mediums, 10 deep). One hive top feeder. All of which will be assembled by me ahead of time.
The equipment and the bees now belong to you, and I will be servicing them for as long as the contract lasts. Should you want the bees removed at any time, I will come pick them up on the first suitable day during the next week, and take them away. But if you want to start managing them yourself, or give them to your neighbor or another beekeeper, you are certainly welcome to do that. Just please don't leave them unattended. They will die within two years, and in the meantime, they can be a reservoir for disease that can spread to neighboring hives.
Initial Installation |
On an agreed upon day between March 30 and Sept 1, I will bring the equipment and the bees, and install them at the agreed-upon location. While everyone wants to get their bees as soon as possible, I have found that in the Hereford zone and Northern Maryland, it is best not to move bees until after March. The weather is often too cold and too variable to risk establishing a new hive any earlier than that. The installation process should take about an hour, and I like to give the bees a two-hour window for orientation flights by the bees, and then you can play in your back yard as usual.
I would be responsible for purchasing all of the hive components and the bees, including a specially-ordered queen. (I find pure-bred Italians and Carnolians are the friendliest varieties). The basic package includes 3 medium depth, 10-frame hive boxes, and 1 deep, 10 frame box, painted white and assembled. A bottom board and telescoping hive cover. Wooden frames with wired wax foundation to fill all of the boxes. (30 mediums, 10 deep). One hive top feeder. All of which will be assembled by me ahead of time.
The equipment and the bees now belong to you, and I will be servicing them for as long as the contract lasts. Should you want the bees removed at any time, I will come pick them up on the first suitable day during the next week, and take them away. But if you want to start managing them yourself, or give them to your neighbor or another beekeeper, you are certainly welcome to do that. Just please don't leave them unattended. They will die within two years, and in the meantime, they can be a reservoir for disease that can spread to neighboring hives.
Initial Installation |
On an agreed upon day between March 30 and Sept 1, I will bring the equipment and the bees, and install them at the agreed-upon location. While everyone wants to get their bees as soon as possible, I have found that in the Hereford zone and Northern Maryland, it is best not to move bees until after March. The weather is often too cold and too variable to risk establishing a new hive any earlier than that. The installation process should take about an hour, and I like to give the bees a two-hour window for orientation flights by the bees, and then you can play in your back yard as usual.
Maintenance |
During the months of April through September, I will come and check on the bees once a month at minimum, likely more frequently as needed by the bees. Then after September, the management demands are very few until February.
I will text you within a few days of my maintenance call, so you know I will be coming, but you don't need to be there to do anything, as long as I can get to the hives. I will check on your bees, take a few photos of your hive, and send an email at the end of the day with the pictures, a note, and probably an interesting bee fact or two. That way you will know what has been done and how the bees are faring.
Keeping honey bees alive these days is harder than one might think. There are no wild hives that live for years in an old tree anymore. Sadly, those days are gone. All honey bees you see are being actively "kept" and cared for. Maryland has averaged around 50% hive loss over each of the last three winters, and these are hives that are being actively managed by experienced beekeepers. So I will feed your bees sugar-water or a pollen substitute as needed throughout the year to minimize stress on the hive's immune system.
All of this is to say that despite everyone's best efforts, a colony of bees can die. If this happens, or your think it might have happened, or you are worried that something is wrong, call my cell phone and l will try to manage the problem as quickly as possible. If the hive does die, I will replace them at no additional cost to you, as soon as the bees are available. I will also replace queens as needed.
My maintenance schedule is designed to minimize swarming, the impact of queen loss, disease, and mouse intrusion. I do treat for Varroa mites, as few hives survive more than a year or two without treatment, but I do it as naturally as possible. In other words, I don't put stuff in the hive that I wouldn't put in my mouth. I practice what is called integrated pest management (IPM). It is substantially more work on the beekeeper's part, but it doesn't create a tolerance to the treatments we have. I'm not in business to make cheap honey. I love bees and want to help them survive.
Additional Hives |
Because it is really better to have two or more hives, I offer a discounted rate for each additional hive at the same location. They can both be serviced at the same time, which creates more efficiency, so I can lower the cost. Also, the hives can be bundled together to share warmth during the winter. You get more honey, more pollination for your garden, and more bees!
Pricing |
In the Hereford Zone, the price for your first hive, including equipment, set-up, bees, feed, and a year of maintenance, is $1,100. There may be an extra charge for mileage, depending on your location. Future years of maintenance will cost $900 per year, because the equipment does not need to be purchased each year, and (hopefully) the bees will not need to be replaced. You will be given all the excess honey during your second year, and if no excess is produced, I will give you a 2 pound jar from my own bees in the Hereford Zone.
During the months of April through September, I will come and check on the bees once a month at minimum, likely more frequently as needed by the bees. Then after September, the management demands are very few until February.
I will text you within a few days of my maintenance call, so you know I will be coming, but you don't need to be there to do anything, as long as I can get to the hives. I will check on your bees, take a few photos of your hive, and send an email at the end of the day with the pictures, a note, and probably an interesting bee fact or two. That way you will know what has been done and how the bees are faring.
Keeping honey bees alive these days is harder than one might think. There are no wild hives that live for years in an old tree anymore. Sadly, those days are gone. All honey bees you see are being actively "kept" and cared for. Maryland has averaged around 50% hive loss over each of the last three winters, and these are hives that are being actively managed by experienced beekeepers. So I will feed your bees sugar-water or a pollen substitute as needed throughout the year to minimize stress on the hive's immune system.
All of this is to say that despite everyone's best efforts, a colony of bees can die. If this happens, or your think it might have happened, or you are worried that something is wrong, call my cell phone and l will try to manage the problem as quickly as possible. If the hive does die, I will replace them at no additional cost to you, as soon as the bees are available. I will also replace queens as needed.
My maintenance schedule is designed to minimize swarming, the impact of queen loss, disease, and mouse intrusion. I do treat for Varroa mites, as few hives survive more than a year or two without treatment, but I do it as naturally as possible. In other words, I don't put stuff in the hive that I wouldn't put in my mouth. I practice what is called integrated pest management (IPM). It is substantially more work on the beekeeper's part, but it doesn't create a tolerance to the treatments we have. I'm not in business to make cheap honey. I love bees and want to help them survive.
Additional Hives |
Because it is really better to have two or more hives, I offer a discounted rate for each additional hive at the same location. They can both be serviced at the same time, which creates more efficiency, so I can lower the cost. Also, the hives can be bundled together to share warmth during the winter. You get more honey, more pollination for your garden, and more bees!
Pricing |
In the Hereford Zone, the price for your first hive, including equipment, set-up, bees, feed, and a year of maintenance, is $1,100. There may be an extra charge for mileage, depending on your location. Future years of maintenance will cost $900 per year, because the equipment does not need to be purchased each year, and (hopefully) the bees will not need to be replaced. You will be given all the excess honey during your second year, and if no excess is produced, I will give you a 2 pound jar from my own bees in the Hereford Zone.