Comments on: Honey Prices: Making sense of colony collapse disorder http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/05/14/honey-prices-making-sense-of-colony-collapse-disorder/ Growing grapes and making wine in Bellevue Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:58:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Dick Adams http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/05/14/honey-prices-making-sense-of-colony-collapse-disorder/#comment-4119 Dick Adams Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:49:07 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2007/05/14/honey-prices-making-sense-of-colony-collapse-disorder/#comment-4119 I am very price sensitive and keep track of honey prices and shipping costs. Somewhere between every 12 to 16 months I find someone to drive me the 85 miles from Ellicott City, MD to Dutch Gold in Lancaster, PA to by honey. In late 2007, I purchased 360 lbs (six 5-gal pails). The price has not changed since it went down in 2004 or was it 2005. My problems with honey prices are with Beekeepers who want retail prices which are possibly three times the price honey packers will pay them and with some vendors who buy the same honey I buy (Clover @ $78/pail) and resell it at $150. The former do not want to negotiate and the latter claim they are in a retail business even though they have no actual retail store. We can thank Osama bin Laden for the freight costs and I have no idea how to counteract it other than doing a step-n-fetch. HoneyLocator.com is a fairly thorough source of honey suppliers. I use it when I'd like a honey I can not get from Dutch Gold and I'm willing to pay the freight costs. Except for Orange Blossom and Raspberry Blossom, I have not paid more than $75 a pail ($15/gal) and I am sure some Meadmakers pay less. I am very price sensitive and keep track of honey prices and shipping costs. Somewhere between every 12 to 16 months I find someone to drive me the 85 miles from Ellicott City, MD to Dutch Gold in Lancaster, PA to by honey. In late 2007, I purchased 360 lbs (six 5-gal pails). The price has not changed since it went down in 2004 or was it 2005.

My problems with honey prices are with Beekeepers who want retail prices which are possibly three times the price honey packers will pay them and with some vendors who buy the same honey I buy (Clover @ $78/pail) and resell it at $150. The former do not want to negotiate and the latter claim they are in a retail business even though they have no actual retail store.

We can thank Osama bin Laden for the freight costs and I have no idea how to counteract it other than doing a step-n-fetch.

HoneyLocator.com is a fairly thorough source of honey suppliers. I use it when I’d like a honey I can not get from Dutch Gold and I’m willing to pay the freight costs. Except for Orange Blossom and Raspberry Blossom, I have not paid more than $75 a pail ($15/gal) and I am sure some Meadmakers pay less.

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