Mike, Bob, Randy and all,

     Keep it simple,  that's my motto, too many beekeepers try to chase that 
dangling carrot. The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill, 
until you have to mow it.  Allot of beekeepers, in my opinion, would be 
better off doing a couple things good rather than chasing dollars and not 
capitalizing on all of them.  As I've written here before on Bee-L , I keep 
a close eye on the net earnings, the gross is irrelevant, that's for those 
carrot chasers. I look for opportunity in a poor market, (the glass is half 
full &sometimes 3/4 ) if your not stretched to thin on your recourses ( 
time, labor $$$ ) opportunity will present it self.

  This spring in Calif. set records rain fall and cold, allot of beekeepers 
bees starved in the cherry& apple pollination. They couldn't even get feed 
to them it was a mud hole out here. Cherry go for about $15 per/hive, 
shaking bulk bees to restock them pays about $45 per/hive.

Randy O,

 Sterilizing, I do a close version of yours.  I use 80% boiled linseed oil & 
20% mineral spirits, hot dip in a holding tank. But I have to confess I do 
paint mine. I use an oil base stain which lasts about 20 years per coat.
P.S. Randy, sorry I could not fill your last bulk bee order I was burned 
out.

Keith Jarrett
Calif. Naturals





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Palmer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 11:59 AM
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] "KISS"


>>  You beeguys who have a simple way of keeping bees, ...............
>
>
> Simple??? Whoever said it was simple???
>
> The things you mention are merely ways of increasing the odds that a 
> beekeeper can be successful. It's still wicked hard work, and then you 
> have to deal with a simple thing called.....
>
> Weather!!!
>
> You can simple...fy nuc making by using excluders to prevent the old queen 
> from being taken with the split, or make a shaker box to help find runny 
> queens, or overwinter nucs to give you replacement stock in the spring, or 
> keep you off some breeders list whose orders never seem to get 
> filled...but simple???
>
> I don't think so. Just about the time you think you have the cat by 
> the...tail...you get 4 or 5 weeks of rain, and your notions of simple fall 
> apart.
>
> Mike in Vermont...still waiting for the flow to begin, after it has simply 
> rained since mid-May.
>
>
>
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