>I, too, recently saw this catalog and was initially enthusiastic. To my
>reading, however, they seem to imply that you get the full production of a
>bee colony, apple tree, or whatever, and the quantities are ridiculous. (20
>oz. of honey from a hive is a good example.) I would think anyone wanting
>to try this would want to be completely straight-forward about what was
>being paid for.
>
>Duane W. Bailey
>Amherst College
My experience was very similar to Duane's, an initial excitement about
a novel marketing concept, but then a sinking feeling as I read the fine
print. However, to be fair to the catalog, please note the following:
1) It is an interesting marketing idea - one that I have not seen anywhere
else.
2) From a financial standpoint - if they can get this kind of money for
20 oz. of honey, I think it is pretty amazing. Sure beats 50 cents/pound
on the wholesale market! This catalog may be the epitome of
"slick marketing". They are selling a lot more than just honey -
it is the whole package of "status reports", "owning" your own
peice of the country (less important to those of us living in
non-urban areas!), etc.
On the flip side, some things that turn me off about this operation:
1) I don't believe that the catalog makes any promises regarding the time
span for which you get "the total production of a colony". Note that they
offer four flavors of honey - this implies some migratory style
management (moving bees so that they will produce the desired type of
honey). As many beekeepers know, this is rough on the bees, and
significantly reduces the amount of surplus honey the bees produce.
2) I have heard some less than flattering stories about this operation.
I won't elaborate here, as I have no desire to disparage the proprieter
in public. Having written that, I'm sure that there are less than flattering
stories out there about many businesses in operation today. But in this
case, I am unwilling patronize this business myself. (Besides, I've got more
than enough honey already!!!)
Rick Hough, a hobby beekeeper from Northeastern Massachusetts
[log in to unmask]
|
