Question

[Haddon]

JP you have a advantage I have never once in my life thought of calling a pest control company and expecting the services I received to be free or for the love of the bugs. How they take advantage of us is they call pretty much begging for me to save the bees and they don't want them killed, but I am not paying you how dare you ask for money isn't saving the bees enough. The people that call me don't even ask a price that should tell you were their mind set is in the process. Most conversations start out I have bees in the wall of my house and wanted to know if you want them? I would think in normal places the words would be what would you charge to get them out of my house not do you want them.

This is my rant I seem mean but I do like doing cutouts I just don't intend on losing money on doing them. If I want to give bees money I will give it to the ones in my back yard. 

 Vmmartin it wasn't 20 foot it was 24 to 30 and just to buy a ladder that I would not climb to 30 foot would cost $ 300 or more so 500 isn't so bad for the lift and a scissor lift would have been 300.



This year I have done one removal and that was the log I refuse to do one for free.

My price I quote is 50 bucks a hour 3 hour min. for ground work and ladder up to maybe 10 foot oh and mileage sometimes. I think its a far price seeing we have to do construction work and have the crap stung out of us at the same time all while being in a sweat suite in the middle of 100 degree heat.
 I have played this game a few times there is no reason for me to even load the truck for less than 150.

I love bees and would love to have a new hive the homeowner just needs to cut it out the wall and bring it to my house I will be glad to take it for free. That is the only free removal I want. I mean if I just wanted to have the bees I would be asking JP if I could come help him chase bees. Or Adkins bee removal claims that they will give you free bees if you trade them equipment. I have never tried it but I would before I did removals for free.

 So this has been my year.

House in Greenville bees hanging half way to the ground. They had told me it was a exposed hive under the eve its not its a huge Hive in the attic next to his eve. It was 100 to get them from the eve still to cheap for that with me having to drive 100 miles total to get it I tell him it will have to be at least 200 if I have to go in that attic mind you it 100 degrees outside old man has a fit that its to high and he aint going to pay that. So I pack up my S*** and he stands over there telling me how they have talked to at least 30 beekeeper and we are some of the sorriest people he has ever dealt with. Not a one of the other beekeepers has shown up. He had one quote him 75 and he didn't show up. I just packed my crap and told him it was 200 if he wanted me to come back should have told him what I thought of him and his bees instead but I was trying to be nice.

 It has been a year of nothing but those.

Talked to a guy last week said that his dad was moving into a house the painters brush pushed threw the wall exposing a huge hive he is in Greenville too. Told me all about how their are bees all in the house dad had to move back out bees were hanging on the outside from the roof to the ground. How they had multiple guys come over the years to remove them and none had done the job they had never once remove the comb. I told him I could fix it but my services are not free didn't even tell him the price he will not call me back. That was a waist of 30 minutes of my life I can't get back dude would not shut up till I told him it wasn't free. I mean from what he described I would have paid someone to come get them.

 Now the one that started this thread she had to get the guy from Alabama to come do it. I can tell you I am not the only beekeeper she called in Mississippi if they ended up getting one from AL. Just every beekeeper in Mississippi laughed at her I am betting.

 Three years ago before the influx of new beekeepers I would forward calls to the other guys on the swarms list. I was not yet doing removals I finally called a few of the old guys that then populated the swarm lists they laughed about removals, I didn't talk to a one that said yeah they do them a few said they had been rooked into them in the past but that no one in this state wants to pay what its worth.

Half the people I deal with think it should be free the other half think you should pay them for the honey.

Only reason I started the website was so that the free or you pay me people would see I charge and not call me. That and I thought I might be missing the calls from people willing to pay that are looking for pest control. I might even charge just what a pest control guy would charge to spray but I can't find one that will give me a quote. I am betting its still well over 100 bucks to come out seeing that the last time I had to have a plumber sign off on my work he charged me 80 bucks for his name.

[Haddon]

http://www.bee-removals.com/bee-removal-equipmentcost.html

I didn't want to start a new thread so tell me what I might be forgetting about cost here.

[D Semple]

You’re not doing anything wrong Michael, sounds like you just live in an area where there is more supply for beekeeping removals than there is demand for bees to be removed. And, I would venture a guess that’s true for most of the rural areas of the country. Seems like all the guys doing a lot of removals are all around highly populated urban areas.

Harder than hell to sell Ice to an Eskimo regards

Don

[Haddon]

I wouldn't say its a over supply of removers it more the people will just keep calling year after year begging till someone feels sorry and does it. That or the building falls down which happens around here we have mansions that fall into disrepair and over time come falling down. Thats why I feel bad for new guys they feel sorry for the bees and have not realized that the homeowner is not going to kill them ever. Like that hive in Greenville I would bet money its still there even though he claimed he would kill them. He had not done so in 2 years why would this year be different. The old man will die with that have most likely still in his house.

[Judy in in]

Half the people I deal with think it should be free the other half think you should pay them for the honey.

Yes, I get that sometimes. You should do the work just for the value of the bees! HA!


My favorite is the people who show up when you're doing a cut-out wanting to know about the honey. Their eyes gleam at the thought of ALL that golden honey and seem to think it's just like the jar in the store. If I give them some honey, it's going to have some bees in it, as well.

I feed the cut-out honey to the bees.

[schawee]

judy welcome to the forum and i feed the honey back to the bees too.haddon you get all kinds out there,my best one is ,your a beekeeper you should do it for the bees.i told this person that he's a tax payer and should give his hole paycheck to the government.well he never called back.the only ones that get a freebee from me is the elderly that has little and in need of some help. well my mother of course            .........schawee

[Haddon]

Yeah I did 2 free last year testing my equipment and getting everything set up correctly. Then no more free ones dang if my half sister didn't call and say her mom had one in her shed for 3 or more years so last year I did 3 free ones. lol
So I know that bee removal for free for mama.