Subject: "Why Bee Contracts Are Better Than Handshakes..."

This beekeeper lost 70 hives...

Why Pollination + Honey Production Contracts Are Better Than Your Handshake!

Are you working with a farmer or landowner and putting your bee hives on their land with just a handshake? That's 'OK' if nothing goes wrong...

Hi Friend,


I have great sympathy for this beekeeper. These are hard times enough as it is but to have a farmer or landowner not communicate to the beekeeper about a spraying event on the land and not take responsibility of their deaths is really heart-breaking.


Here's my online response below and I also got in touch privately with the new beekeeper and provided a basic contract for him to use in future.

HOW YOU PROVIDE POLLINATION & HONEY PRODUCTION

AS A COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPER IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Pollination is worthwhile as an investment and a business model for a beekeeper.


Moreover, it must be treated as a business in all ways - including legal.


I am very sorry for your loss and now also this complication.


Bees do get negatively impacted by pollination over time however they also get impacted by honey production if they are on crops or nuts or fruits that get sprayed with pesticides and are not being compensated for the pollination they do.


Not to mention, most honey production has some trace element of pesticide being used during any crop spraying whether or not your bees are on the land for pollination or honey production... Major consideration when placing hives on a grower's land.


Either way, bees get the short end of the stick.


When one puts bees on avocado  or macadamia or oranges or lemons or other crops they all get some type of spray. Whether one is charging for pollination or producing honey the SAME pesticide issue will affect your planning… the difference however is that the ratio of colonies to hectares is vastly different… the bees must still be present and working on the flowers both ways.


A contract is always to be signed before servicing for BOTH of these opportunities


There’s many risks involved:

  • Public liability for injury and death, damage to property - yours and farmers in case of fire  and losses.

  • Loss of livestock in case of death of hives. (This case) and how compensation is handled and expected.

  • Theft is another risk of the hives and or honey. Who is responsible for this and what is the cause of xyz?

  • Access to property. Beekeepers right of way for delivering and placement of hives and also removal from property.

  • Business insurance is another option. This could cover you for loss of revenue. Should form part of your costing model when deciding to quote for pollination. It’s not cheap.

All these things, not exhaustive, are very important to include in any risk assessment and analysis of the business model for beekeepers.


If you have employees working with you it is a good idea to cover them for injury too. Workmen’s compensation etc is not always enough.


This is not advice. Just my experience with decades of beekeeping.

There’s a very basic contract in the blue book you can start using.*


I since contacted the beekeeper and shared a basic pollination contract with them to make use of in future to manage the risk of this happening again. 


I also shared personal experience with them about how to go about finding better farmers to work with and also to balance pollination with recovery sites for their hives between crop flowering periods that helps the colonies to rebuild from the stress of pollination.


** I have since shared further risk considerations and business planning for anyone looking to grow their hobby into a part-time or full-time beekeeping business.

Thank you for your time.

"May the flow bee forever in your favour!"

2024 © W Selzer

My additional commentary since the post has been pretty busy with many different viewpoints and sharing of sympathy.


Whether a beekeeper offers pollination services or just honey production is a matter of higher ratio of hives to hectares on the same farm/land.

The same risk applies for spraying on the crops... The same requirement to remove the bees beforehand...


BECAUSE > Even if the the farmer/landowner which have your bees is not spraying the farmer/s or landowner/s NEARBY [within 5km radius] could EASILY NOT agree to that very same practice and the bees still get impacted...


For honey production, often beekeepers have to resort to sites which are much less safe for reasons of theft, vandalism and or fire as well. And the ratio of hives to hectares is much higher meaning more sites required for more hives... More cost of moving the bees every time.


There are MANY FACTORS to consider on both sides.


Pollination and honey production have a place for beekeepers as a hybrid approach for beekeepers in South Africa.


Planning is paramount as part of the business operation:


One month the bees could be placed on citrus which pays very well for pollination and there may be some small quantity of honey produced as well. [Spray is likely and must be part of your contract and planning for placement and removal.]


The next month the bees can be placed on pumpkins which is a good way to help rebuild the bees as you DO NOT CHARGE pollination but just find a farmer/grower that is happy to host your bees... Or do something like seed pollination on onions.


Or, you find a eucalyptus forest/land which will be flowering alternately and there won't be any spraying for the bees to rebuild and recover from the strenuous pollination setup. [EDIT: I pressed enter here by mistake].


The point is, pollination and honey production is the best way to thrive as a beekeeper who wants to grow their BUSINESS...


Is it the best for the bees...? That's a different thing altogether.


  • The bees will suffer if they do not have enough food available and are not able to sustain themselves and abscond if they cannot get access to enough food throughout the year.

  • The bees will suffer and possibly die if they do not have enough food to survive the winter period.

  • In order to grow one's apiary size and quality of honey production both methods are needed...


What is pivotal, is taking the time to ensure the operation is run as a business! To take it seriously in all senses - including the legal, the planning, the risk management and so on and so on...


> Ensure contracts are in place: both for honey production sites + pollination sites

> Ensure your risks are well thought out and you have management in place for them:

¬ fire, theft, vandalism, public liability, flooding, injury, losses, poor harvests

> Ensure you have planned out your annual calendar: Honey production and pollination require proper management of what flowers where, when and who it is that has access to the land you need to place your bees on.

> Ensure you have enough transport access to move the bees when they need to be moved.

> Ensure fire hazards and fire breakers are in place on the sites you work on.

> Ensure handling of theft is covered in contracts and with insurance where possible.

> Place trackers in your hives if you are working in high-risk areas

> Place motion sensors if you dont have a tracker around your apiaries for early warning detection.

> Ensure you have multiple farmers / landowners lined up for your season and annual calendar ahead of time.

> Check who is using less pesticides on their farms.

> Run talks and go to farmer meetings to discuss the benefit of bees and the detriment of using pesticides

> Create an info pack for all farmers/landowners you deal with so they have an in-depth but useful insight to what THEY GET SOLD BY THE AGRI INDUSTRY about fertilisers and pesticides... being SAFE for bees. They are NOT.


There's a lot of work that goes into making beekeeping a business.


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