Thanks Ian, we appreciate not only your insight and experience but your willingness to be transparent with your subscribers……! By the way, could you please send some of your snow down here to the mountains of Northern Arizona?
You know it's Winter when Ian's videos start off with a wood stove. Nice fluffy snow, not real wet. That sure makes it easier to deal with but man does it blow all over. Merry Christmas Ian and Family, Blessed Days... I would have a difficult time taking reservations of nucs or brood frames before I know I have them. I don't Trust Winters to be kind to honey bee mortality.
I am a miniscule operation but am expanding, What I am doing is spending 1/3 of my minimum projected sales in new equipment this winter. Which in your situation would be for you to look closely at what you think your going to be able to sell at a minimum and pre-sell just a portion of that to stay on the safe side until you get firmer numbers.
I am on the west coast, and have never really experienced dry snow, but then I went to Denver Colorado for a couple of weeks to play with helicopters (removing trees from the middle of a lake after the water drowned them lol), and I tried making a snow ball and was frustrated as it just poofed out through my fingers.... Sheesh
On a MUCH smaller scale I have the same problem. I have gone with a wait list approch. I tell them I can put them on my list of nuc buyers (no deposit) and I will let them know asap in spring if I think I can fill thier order. I know for many people buying larger scale that may have them looking to the next supplier, but it works for me.
I miss the snow myself lol. I feel like having the cold weather is pointless without having at least a little bit of snow lol. Im a beginner and i know i dont have the experience that you do, but i cant imagine preselling any bees without knowing what my survival rate is going to be. Now once i get some experience, i feel like i could take my worst year ever and use that to predict my survival so that i never over-sell and make myself short. I also feel like i would probably only be willing to pre-sell a percentage of what im predicting will survive, but time will tell how i manage my sales.
There's hardly 6" of snow here. I've only cleared it once and that was for the benefit of others. I know that presale risk all too well. I've been stung in the past by making commitments I couldn't fulfill.
If you work on efficiency while building your ‘herd’ take more time to build the structure you won’t make as many mistakes. A good apple farmer friend told me, you’re going to be there (where you live) you don’t need to do everything this year.
Waiting a year for expansion maybe a good idea allowing the unsettled economy/political worlds to settle down. Maybe mid- February run a Flair on the rows of bees and get a firmer grip on what you have and then sell your abundance. My opinion only. Must be fun to have those options.
Spring is stressful enough, I don’t need the added pressure of filling commitments I made in January. With the demand to open the border, there should be no shortage of people looking for bees.
I don’t know about that. The boarder will open and it might only offset the off shore imports. I can source Chilean packages for $205-210 Toronto April 1. US bees will not be cheaper than that
Ian i read your comment "I built this business on honey sales"... My question to you is how many hives can your body and mind cope with? For me sitting in my arm chair in the UK, it is your children are the key to your future honey busness... Some more right hands as good as Kerry, would boost the operation to a very different level..
Stay loose in your planning. A world recession as well as a Canadian pullback in the financial markets and they pull back in the US markets should raise your heightened awareness to be prudent and smart… Feel free to pause as long as you need and not risk more than you can lose❤ ❤❤❤❤❤
Can you tell me how much money is made from buying a package in 2024, accounting for labor involved, treating it, feeding it for winter, and don't forget about the average cost of package after winter lost from the group and then selling it in 2025?
Bonjour comment tu vas j'ai vu que tu as pas mal de neige du côté du Canada il fait froid là-haut et les abeilles j'espère qu'ils sont bien couverts😂😂😂😂
Sell cells, mated queens nucs and make less honey More fun and less work . Its tough being our season is short . Enjoy life even if its plowing snow 😂🎉
Seems to me, sell, when you know what is available. Exspand with the profits, and then make as many fall splits as possible, limited by, equipment, and storage space.
Will the demand for your bees still be there after they are out of the shed? Plan to sell but wait till then to pull the trigger maybe? Or say screw it and get on the train and ride it to 5000 colonies😮! Merry Christmas good sir
why do you feel the need to expand anymore don't you have enough equity to risk, why don't you find a way to sell retail what you already produce being dependent on someone else buying the bulk of the honey is a risk.
@@Draintheswamp2024 That's valid for any kind of business. Why open a new gold mine? Maybe someday there will be a cheap technique to create gold out of thin air...
With Commercial beekeepers losing ~55% of their hives annually the demand is going to be there there are ~ 2.6 million hives in the US and that is not enough considering you need to replace ~ 1 million hives a year.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I recommend 3 or 4 days in sunny Louisville. Relaxing with some good Bourbon and good company and no feet of snow 😅
🤣😂
Thanks Ian, we appreciate not only your insight and experience but your willingness to be transparent with your subscribers……! By the way, could you please send some of your snow down here to the mountains of Northern Arizona?
Great sight!
You know it's Winter when Ian's videos start off with a wood stove. Nice fluffy snow, not real wet. That sure makes it easier to deal with but man does it blow all over. Merry Christmas Ian and Family, Blessed Days...
I would have a difficult time taking reservations of nucs or brood frames before I know I have them. I don't Trust Winters to be kind to honey bee mortality.
Go with your gut Ian!!!
Hi Ian.....Happy Holidays! Yikes to presell is so stressful. I'm a backyarder and sell a few nucs and even that is stressful. Love your videos!
I am a miniscule operation but am expanding, What I am doing is spending 1/3 of my minimum projected sales in new equipment this winter. Which in your situation would be for you to look closely at what you think your going to be able to sell at a minimum and pre-sell just a portion of that to stay on the safe side until you get firmer numbers.
I am on the west coast, and have never really experienced dry snow, but then I went to Denver Colorado for a couple of weeks to play with helicopters (removing trees from the middle of a lake after the water drowned them lol), and I tried making a snow ball and was frustrated as it just poofed out through my fingers.... Sheesh
Its always nice to get a bit of cash back in the bank and you already work super hard anyway. merry Chrismas Ian
Man I hate when I’m shoveling snow and the wind blows it right back at me
On a MUCH smaller scale I have the same problem. I have gone with a wait list approch. I tell them I can put them on my list of nuc buyers (no deposit) and I will let them know asap in spring if I think I can fill thier order. I know for many people buying larger scale that may have them looking to the next supplier, but it works for me.
I’ve decided the same. But yea, I’ve turned away sales already. I could easily sell a couple hundred on the spot. Money in hands !
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlogI understand the temptation. This spring looks like it will be messy.
I wouldn't sell bees if I were you, greetings from Ukraine.
I miss the snow myself lol. I feel like having the cold weather is pointless without having at least a little bit of snow lol. Im a beginner and i know i dont have the experience that you do, but i cant imagine preselling any bees without knowing what my survival rate is going to be. Now once i get some experience, i feel like i could take my worst year ever and use that to predict my survival so that i never over-sell and make myself short. I also feel like i would probably only be willing to pre-sell a percentage of what im predicting will survive, but time will tell how i manage my sales.
Looks like a great day to make up some nucs!
I love this weather good sking weather
There's hardly 6" of snow here. I've only cleared it once and that was for the benefit of others. I know that presale risk all too well. I've been stung in the past by making commitments I couldn't fulfill.
If you work on efficiency while building your ‘herd’ take more time to build the structure you won’t make as many mistakes. A good apple farmer friend told me, you’re going to be there (where you live) you don’t need to do everything this year.
Waiting a year for expansion maybe a good idea allowing the unsettled economy/political worlds to settle down. Maybe mid- February run a Flair on the rows of bees and get a firmer grip on what you have and then sell your abundance. My opinion only. Must be fun to have those options.
👍вже років десять не бачив такої зими
Spring is stressful enough, I don’t need the added pressure of filling commitments I made in January.
With the demand to open the border, there should be no shortage of people looking for bees.
I don’t know about that. The boarder will open and it might only offset the off shore imports.
I can source Chilean packages for $205-210 Toronto April 1. US bees will not be cheaper than that
The snow is pretty , but you can keep it lol😂
Ian i read your comment "I built this business on honey sales"...
My question to you is how many hives can your body and mind cope with?
For me sitting in my arm chair in the UK, it is your children are the key to your future honey busness...
Some more right hands as good as Kerry, would boost the operation to a very different level..
I built this business on honey sales which means I protect the honey crop at all cost
Stay loose in your planning. A world recession as well as a Canadian pullback in the financial markets and they pull back in the US markets should raise your heightened awareness to be prudent and smart… Feel free to pause as long as you need and not risk more than you can lose❤ ❤❤❤❤❤
Can you tell me how much money is made from buying a package in 2024, accounting for labor involved, treating it, feeding it for winter, and don't forget about the average cost of package after winter lost from the group and then selling it in 2025?
I can sell a nuc in May for $300 give or take depending on demand
As for costs, I factor the honey production from the year I build them as cost recovery on expenses
Bonjour comment tu vas j'ai vu que tu as pas mal de neige du côté du Canada il fait froid là-haut et les abeilles j'espère qu'ils sont bien couverts😂😂😂😂
In Poland is not snow😢
If I don't sell some bees I'm gonna have to change my last name to Steppler.
Are you making the EXPO in Louisville this year?
No, too close to family time
Merhaba Ian. Seni Türkiye'den takip ediyorum. Türkçe alt yazı desteği yok ama senin videolarını izlemeyi seviyorum. Kolay gelsin. Noelini kutluyorum
Sell cells, mated queens nucs and make less honey
More fun and less work .
Its tough being our season is short .
Enjoy life even if its plowing snow 😂🎉
Honey is $$$
You never count your chicks until the eggs are hatched. You never know what can happen
Seems to me, sell, when you know what is available.
Exspand with the profits, and then make as many fall splits as possible, limited by, equipment, and storage space.
Will the demand for your bees still be there after they are out of the shed? Plan to sell but wait till then to pull the trigger maybe? Or say screw it and get on the train and ride it to 5000 colonies😮! Merry Christmas good sir
Pre sale to grab the market, which might explode or fizzle later in spring
Can you sell queens to Americans? I want a few of your queens
How many of your kids are out of high school now?
2 out of school but still in school
I make a list and promise nothing.
Yes
why do you feel the need to expand anymore don't you have enough equity to risk, why don't you find a way to sell retail what you already produce being dependent on someone else buying the bulk of the honey is a risk.
With that attitude I’d be sitting on 250 hives. I’m
Not done yet ;)
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog if you don't think there will be a day when everybody quits eating honey then go for it.
@@Draintheswamp2024 That's valid for any kind of business. Why open a new gold mine? Maybe someday there will be a cheap technique to create gold out of thin air...
@@tachedegraisse1303 they already make gold it's called fiat money
With Commercial beekeepers losing ~55% of their hives annually the demand is going to be there there are ~ 2.6 million hives in the US and that is not enough considering you need to replace ~ 1 million hives a year.
Sell queens
Oh my friend ive followed for about 8 years id guess. Slow down a bit. Life is short. Take breaks and listen to jesus
I will email you too Ian too add me to your list of needing bees
My 2 cents... Wait and see what you have in the spring, then sell your excess.... if there is any.🥸