Bee Hive Vandalism

[ASUComputerGuy]

Since we have had a couple of threads in the "Energy, Environment, and Policy" forum about beef and eating less of it, I thought it wouldn't be too far fetched to write about a local beekeeper in my area that was intentionally vandalized this week. Bees are so vitally important to our food chain and I am blown away by someone's desire to destroy hives and someone's livelihood. I am curious to hear from my Tesla people about their opinions and supporting facts on this topic.

If you want to support a local business that's family owned and doing their part for their community and educating people about bees, here's the link to their Go Fund Me page to help them get back on their feet:
Click here to support Save Baxter's Bees organized by Lori English

If you want more info about the company, here is their web site:
Baxters Bees Honey Wax Propolis Pollen Natural Esential Education

Please remember that this is a small locally owned family business. They don't have a super fancy web site, because their focus is on bees and beekeeping, not web site development.

 

[Big Earl]

Thank you for posting this; I just made a donation. Bees are critically important to the planet and it’s disgusting that someone would vandalize bee colonies.

 

[ggr]

You might also want to mention this in the existing Beekeeping thread.

 

[ASUComputerGuy]

Thanks ggr. I shall do that. Also, thanks to Big Earl! I know they appreciate the support!

 

[cpa]

I cannot make any promises.

How large is your friend's apiary? Right now about 80% or so of the nation's hives are right here in California for the almond bloom that will likely pop in about three weeks.

One of my clients brokers bees and almond farmers each year. He and the apiarist arrange for delivery of the hives right after New Year's, and he then sustains the hives until bloom. Right now the hives are starting to be placed in the orchards in anticipation of the bloom, which is usually around Valentine's Day through early March. He then arranges for the apiarist to retrieve his hives for their next pollination job.

Almond orchards generally utilize three hives per acre, and we have over 1.1 million acres of almonds from the Grapevine to Red Bluff.

Almonds are usually the first forage for bees each winter/spring. Almond pollen is good quality protein, and the nectar is not particularly appetizing for human consumption, so the honey is consumed by the workers and the queen and not extracted.

I realize that North Carolina is quite some distance from the Central Valley of California, but if his operation is large enough, it might make financial sense to ship his hives west in early January. I have not heard of a case of vandalism of bees or their hives here (not to say it has not happened, just that I am not aware of anything.)

If your friend is interested, let me know. I can contact my client to see if he can broker the hives for the 2019 bloom. He is already lining up his growers and apiarists for next year.

I wish him the best!

 

[ASUComputerGuy]

Thank you cpa. I appreciate your offer and I will forward on your note. I'm not sure their apiary or their business is that large, but I'm sure they will appreciate that people are willing to assist and I'll let you know what their response is.

 

[cpa]

You are welcome. I think my client handles several thousand hives during the 6-8 weeks they are here in the Valley. I know one of his apiarists is one of the largest in Idaho. I believe another is from South Dakota. He himself had ~1,000-1,500 hives in the 80s and 90s before selling his business. They are a lot of work!

 

[McRat]

I'm stunned that anyone would operate a business today without business insurance. Yeah, that response might anger some folk, but only hobby businesses or those who operate off-the-books tend not to have a license and insurance.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi McRat,

I am a beekeeper too... Hobby or profession it is a great challenge.

I would comment on your insurance comments.
You may have great resources for insurance and I would be happy to avail myself of them.

My research of insurance for unique or unusual businesses is next to impossible to obtain.
If you are a baker, coffee shop, barber or cosmetician there are many options for insurance.

For private smaller apiaries - good luck.

I am a private production (legal) chemist and I have found no insurance available...

I am sure there are many other unique businesses that have no options either...

Not angry at your comments but remember insurance like most other for profit businesses is
in it for the profit. If you do not fit their cookie cutter vision of business - Good luck...

There are reasons for LLCs.

Shawn

 

[McRat]

Hi McRat,

I am a beekeeper too... Hobby or profession it is a great challenge.

I would comment on your insurance comments.
You may have great resources for insurance and I would be happy to avail myself of them.

My research of insurance for unique or unusual businesses is next to impossible to obtain.
If you are a baker, coffee shop, barber or cosmetician there are many options for insurance.

For private smaller apiaries - good luck.

I am a private production (legal) chemist and I have found no insurance available...

I am sure there are many other unique businesses that have no options either...

Not angry at your comments but remember insurance like most other for profit businesses is
in it for the profit. If you do not fit their cookie cutter vision of business - Good luck...

There are reasons for LLCs.

Shawn

I have the same problem. There are only a handful of my kind of businesses, far fewer than apiaries. To get insurance we ended listed as clerical. We are a coordinate measuring machine contract laboratory. When folk ask me what I do, I answer "I measure sh*t".

We have both a C class corporation (private) and an LLC. Since banks don't want to deal with us fairly (they have no idea how we make a profit), our only option is to lend money to ourselves. Benefit is after 25 consecutive profitable years, we own everything including the land.

There is a listing for chemical laboratories, but from what I could see, I don't think I'd file for insurance under that. That's what they wanted to list us as. IIRC, the rate was very high.