Canadian beekeeper

[max2]

Anybody watching his videos?
I find it interesting how somebody in a very different climate to mine and at a very different scale to mine keeps bees.It is nearly May and he is still feeding gallons of sugar water and masses of patties.
All the gear and sheds he owns, the queens he buys ...amazing.I wonder how he can make a profit?I wonder what the honey is like?The switch from feeding to harvesting honey seems so very short and before he can blink there is more snow.

[Ben Framed]

Max I am assuming your are referring to Ian Stephler? We have another very successful beekeeper here. TheHoneyPump who lives in the far North of Canada. He as actually posted some interesting things which pretty much covers the points of your questions here. I highly recommend you going back and checking out his post. He is like a walking bee keeping encyclopedia!

[beesnweeds]

I never watched a complete video by Ian, just bits and pieces.  Mostly listened to him on a few webinars.  His family started a 3500 acre grain and cattle farm in the 1920s.  Very hard working family.  So, he had the resources to get started.   I have no idea if he makes money beekeeping but maybe in combination with Youtube views, he seems to add some drama to his videos.

[beehappy1950]

I am within a hundred and fifty miles of him so I am a member of his blog . He makes at least 5 something a month from me. . I have changed my way of beekeeping on account of him. I now run all singles. Now I am getting ready to build his escape boards.  He is a pretty good beekeeper.

[Ben Framed]

I still don?t know which Canadian beekeeper Max is referring to because he never said nor answered when ask, and there are several well known Beekeepers in Canada.

As far as Ian Steppler, His videos are described as blogs . In the beginning, he simply recorded his daily activities and operations. (By the way, he raises his own queens last I knew of) so again, I have no idea who Max is referring too. I can only take a guess in the wind! lol 

I?m Speaking again of Ian Steppler; Many of his videos were short and informative. Good Information could be found within as he would >show and tell< what it was he was doing with his bees (on a daily basis), as well as how and why he was doing it in real time. Not for everyone I?m sure, especially (he or she) who feels they may already know all they need to know 😮. lol; But to a new beekeeper such as I was at the time of his beginning blogs, it was very interesting to see how a professional beekeeper operated, yet willingly shared that day-to-day operation and information with the public which included how and why he did what he did.

Not only that, he was happy to answer questions that a person may have, at least back when I was watching.  Very commendable of him IMHO. (As TheHoneyPump use to say) 😁

[max2]

It is Ian Steppler - if you Google " canadian Bekeeper" this is what comes up

[Ben Framed]

It is Ian Steppler - if you Google " canadian Bekeeper" this is what comes up

Wow he has apparently came a long way since I was watching his blog in his early blog days. . .  Good for Ian! A nice, hard working fellow!

[Ben Framed]

I took a look and I found this and though of you Max! Enjoy....

Phillip


Why Did I Order 250 Queens All At Once!!

a Canadian Beekeeper's Blog
88.9K subscribers
144 views  10 minutes ago



Edit: I took the video address down because of language, (slightly off key). But you can copy and paste the title manually on Youtube search and find the video that way if interested.

[max2]

OK - second week of June.
He adds protein plus "thick sugar water" and gives it a Formic treatment.
He expects the flow to start at the end of the month.
Is this the way it works?
He seems to take mostly canola honey which sells for around US 1.30/lb
What makes the money?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uypGP7xoJvo

[Michael Bush]

>What makes the money?

I'm pretty sure Ian runs a farm and bees are just one aspect of that.

[Ben Framed]

What makes the money?

He is a real nice guy. Many times he will answer questions when ask in the comment section.

[max2]

What makes the money?

He is a real nice guy. Many times he will answer questions when ask in the comment section.

I'm sure that he is a nice bloke..just wondering how he makes money from his bees?
I don't watch all his blogs but he has a large shed to keep his hives during winter, he feeds his bees for months with all sorts, he buys queens by the hundreds, he employs quite a few people and has a very short season to make some money. The return on Canadian Honey is very low.
I admire the man but he can't be in this just for fun.

[Ben Framed]

As I said he?s a nice fellow. Back when I was watching, listening, and learning from him. I would ask him questions that I might have had (down in the comment section). He was always glad to help not only me, but most anyone else who had questions.

I am suggesting that you simply ask him yourself. Perhaps he will tell you himself.

Or; if it is conversation with speculation that you seek, I will take a guess at it.

As a couple folks here have mentioned, his familys operation is at least three fold. Cattle, Farming, and Bee products.
Speaking of which, you and he may have a lot in common?

You mentioned canola as one crop they produce. It is my understanding they produce multiple crops which may benefit from the pollination of honeybees, which will increase productivity of the crop or crops? Means more money?

You being an agricultural teacher will know more about this than would I. I am thinking, they produce soy beans for another crop and if so, I have read that soybean production will definitely increase with the introduction of honeybees.
And I do remember a video of him showing honeybees on vast pastures of clover. No doubt, clover honey will bring a much greater price than canola? Perhaps premium prices?

Those thoughts should boost the conversation. 

Your thoughts?

Phillip

[NigelP]

Might only be a short season, but looks to be a productive one. Photo taken from Eva Crane's Book, World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting, depicting multi queen hives in Canada.

[TheHoneyPump]

?What makes the money? ?> volume

Short season, however long daylight days.  At 18 to 22 hours of daylight and placement on high nectar yielding forage.  Well managed hives can produce upwards of 260 to 340 pounds of honey PER hive.

The foraging window is short. ?Well managed hive? doesn?t mean just taking care of the bees.  It means knowing the forage bloom calendar for the region and setting up the colonies so both their population and bee-AGE peak with the bloom.  When the dice is rolled and hits, big honey crop.   Miss the timing by one week, average to mediocre crop.    Timing is everything. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ben Framed]

I am glad to see your post HoneyPump! I?ve missed you!

Phillip

[The15thMember]

HP!  Long time no see! 

[Michael Bush]

The shortest of those hives would blow over in the first wind here in Nebraska.  The tall ones wouldn't last a day...

[Bill Murray]

2nd everything the honey pump said. I just got done extracting from my home yard, (My worst bees this year, not a very good crop/ on the low end) and came out with an average of 120 lbs per hive, so Im figuring at least 280 to 300 lbs per production hive in the outlaying yards this year. Keeps his fingers crossed

[Michael Bush]

My worst year I feed 60 pounds of syrup and harvest nothing...  My best year I got 200 lbs per hive.  Never seen that again.