The Minnesota Beekeeper

Author : Grant F. C. Gillard
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781482314526
Total Pages : 472 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (145 download)

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Download or read book Beekeeping with Twenty-Five Hives written by Grant F. C. Gillard and published by . This book was released on 2013-03-08 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This manuscript is written for the beekeeper who is hoping to grow to around twenty-five hives, or for the beekeeper who is at the twenty-five hive level and is struggling a little bit to find the available time to effectively manage bees on this level. There is nothing magical about keeping twenty-five hives of bees other than the reality that things begin to change when you reach this level. Twenty-five hives begin to ask you to take your commitment seriously, that these bees now occupy a higher priority in your life. I also write for the person who is not, and may never, keep enough hives to justify their hobby/sideline as a full-time endeavor with all the aspects of making their operations financially profitable. I really want every beekeeper to find that elusive enjoyment that I found keeping bees, and if the opportunity presents itself, to make a little money along the way.I hope you're the kind of person who wants to tap into the wonderful potential so many beekeepers miss. This potential, at first blush, is often perceived as a financial potential, and the financial return is there. And there is no doubt in my mind you can make substantial amounts of money keeping honeybees. But there is also a level of satisfaction, meaning, purpose and enjoyment so many beekeepers miss. I hope this book helps you reach that level of personal satisfaction, even if you don't keep but a few hives of bees. I've also written for the person who would like to grow beyond twenty-five hives, eventually up to one-hundred hives, but recognizes the need to master this twenty-five level first. What follows is what I learned as I started out in Glenville, Minnesota with twenty hives, then after moving to a new part of the country, started over again with four hives, then five, then seven up to twelve, to thirty, to sixty and then upwards (at the time of this writing) to one hundred and fifty hives, plus a bunch of nucs where I raised my own queens and made splits. When asked, I now simply tell people I have "around 200" hives.You may not want to get this big, and that's okay. We each must choose our level of beekeeping, keeping in mind our other factors such as age and health, family and work obligations, desire (what I like to call the "hunger factor"), your passion for keeping bees, financial stability, land availability, spousal approval, etc., etc., etc. Only then can you really decide how many hives to keep and what level of intensity is right for you. This manuscript is written with the idea of working up to twenty-five hives. Whether you continue to expand beyond that level is up to you. There are things I learned on the way to twenty-five hives that served me well as I went on up to one-hundred. Then there are a bunch of new things I had to learn at that level.There is nothing really magical about twenty-five hives. It is, however, a level in which things will begin to change in terms of your time commitment to the bees. Time will be your most precious commodity. You will also notice a change in the management of your resources (mostly time and energy) but also your marketing opportunities. You will also detect a change in your spouse's attitude. My wife lovingly refers to my bees as my "hobby on steroids." My son refers to my bees as "that other family that you spend time with." But it's funny how he seems to enjoy the money from the sale of the honey brought in by "that other family."For some of you, that dream of profitability may be your spouse's hope as well. Or you may be the beekeeper with twenty-five hives or so and you're looking to discover and master the efficiencies to expand further. You like the money that is coming in and you know you can do better.