Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Day #336 Looking on the Bright Side

Thank you to those of you who emailed me (or posted a comment here) about my decision to give up the bees. Your encouragement and understanding have meant a great deal to me.

I’m going to be offering the bees, the hives, and all my equipment (and there’s a LOT of it) for sale. I’m thinking of having a “silent auction” sort of affair, where I’ll list the stuff and let people jot down how much they’ll pay for it.

I guess I hadn’t realized how much money I’d plowed into this so far. Well, I did know, because I’m pretty good about budgeting, and I spaced the purchases out so they didn’t put a big dent in the checkbook. But I hadn’t considered the grand total.

If you’re thinking of getting into beekeeping yourself, this is something to keep in mind.

5-frame hives (2) with bees  (2 deep bodies each)
 $   349
bee brush
 $        4
frame perch
 $      20
hive net
 $      20
hive tool
 $        4
smoker (used)
 $      15
Book: Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping
 $      15
Book: Honey & Your Health
 $        6
Book: Honey/Gourmet Medicine
 $      10
Book: Natural Beekeeping
 $      35
Education Cards for school programs
 $      35
Online beginner's class CD from Brushy Mountain
 $      15
extra veils (used - from Rob)
 $      10
Inspector's Jacket w/ zip-on veil/from Brushy Mountain
 $      76
comb cutter
 $      12
extra honey pail w/ lid
 $        7
gamma lid
 $      10
glass jars
 $      18
honey filtering system
 $      35
pail holder
 $      25
security-tab honey labels
 $      20
5-frame supers (7)
 $      70
empty frames
 $      40
plastic frames
 $      35

            Grand Total:          $886             

The last 10 items I never really used at all – they all have to do with large harvests of honey but when I look this over I realize I’ve had more than a thousand dollars worth of fun, and I’ve had a couple of thousand dollars worth of irreplaceable hands-on experience, plus hundreds of dollars of book-learning, to say nothing of the new friends I've met through the beekeeping community.

So, all in all, I guess I win!


BEEattitude for Day # 336:
      Blessed are those who see the bright side, for their shadows shall always fall behind them.
 

__________________________
Green as a Garden Hose, the 3rd Biscuit McKee Mystery,
is now available in mass market paperback
from World Wide Mystery, a division of Harlequin.
(Go to www.eHarlequin.com and search for Fran Stewart)

 _______________________________
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If you win, your dog will be in my next Biscuit McKee mystery!
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