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Author Topic: Does this sound legitimate?  (Read 1211 times)

Offline .30WCF

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Does this sound legitimate?
« on: April 29, 2022, 11:09:42 pm »
I want to move to all mediums.

If I sell ?nuc and a halfs? on Craigslist or wherever.

A nuc and a half is?
I have deep nucs with medium supers. If a fellow brings a 8-10 frame box, I?ll put the deep frames in it and shake all the bees off the mediums into the box and either close it up real quick, or let it sit there 10-20 minutes in the nucs spot to collect all the flying bees before stapling it shut. 
The idea is you get a nuc and a half?s worth of bees and I get to keep drawn medium frames.
Would that help the new hive draw it out or make them more likely to swarm on a new beek?
I can sell some regular deep nucs and still keep the medium frames anyway for a combine. Does it hurt or help to have that many bees in a bigger box put back on foundation for half the hive?


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« Last Edit: April 30, 2022, 08:11:13 am by .30WCF »

Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2022, 05:19:53 am »
Sounds like a good deal to me.
i would do it by shaking all the bees into the new box, Put the nuc frames against one wall of the new box. placed in the nucs spot, but do it an hour before dark and all the field bees plus spillage will end up in the new box.
Seal it up and new owner takes it away.
We do nucs this way every year but not with extra bees. I would love to buy a start up hive this way.

Offline .30WCF

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2022, 08:07:28 am »
Would you pay a few more dollars for it, or does it sound gimmicky?

If a normal nuc in my area is $150-$175, is a nuc and a half $200 or should I just be happy to be making drawn medium comb each time I sell one? I guess I?m asking, would a purchaser recognize the benefit of the extra bees and pay more, or just go for the cheaper nuc advertised next to it?


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Offline rast

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2022, 08:35:34 am »
I would go ahead and buy the full size single available down here for the 200, its gonna depend on local availability and how good of a sales (education) job you do. 
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Offline TheHoneyPump

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Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2022, 01:12:58 pm »
Sounds like a total gimmick to me.
To sell nucs, start with understanding what the nucleus colony -standard- is for your area. Build the product to meet the standard. There is one, you just may not know it. Find out.  The -standard- is what the beekeepers in your area constitutes a stable colony that is primed to advance quickly, and at what price point that is. 
For example. Nucs go as 4 deep frames here.  The -standard- 4F nuc is:
- an established laying queen
- 2 big frames of mature capped brood both sides
- 1 frame of brood all stages both sides
- 1 full heavy frame of resources (honey/pollen)
- all 4 frames covered 80% or more by the clustered bees population.
- a health certificate issued by the local inspector.

How the nuc is made up by using this, using that, shaking this, shaking that, this box, that box .. is irrelevant.  What is relevant is whether what is in the box at the end meets the -standard-   
If you are talking having folks bring their equipment and you are populating it; that is not nucs. That is onsite hive building. And I would advise to be very cautious about bringing equipment into your apiary. That breaches your biosecurity which is protecting against cross contamination-infection from external sources. Which could literally wipe out your operation. In the nuc business, boxes and frames go out ; boxes and frames never come in.

Hope that helps! Is
« Last Edit: April 30, 2022, 01:33:58 pm by TheHoneyPump »
When the lid goes back on, the bees will spend the next 3 days undoing most of what the beekeeper just did to them.

Offline .30WCF

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2022, 02:59:41 pm »
I didn?t mean for it to sound haphazard with random shakings like a package operation, but I also recognize that it?s not standard and could seem fishy.
They would be getting a standard 5 frame nuc, but also the bees I don?t want from the 5 frame honey super.
This is the kind of feedback I?m looking for though. Some people would be into it, and some would feel like it?s some kind of scam.
I could also sell them the nuc and just smoke most of the bees down out of the medium and buy replacement equipment with the profits.


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Offline FloridaGardener

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2022, 03:51:08 pm »
Not fishy at all! ! Sounds like a great deal if they get 5 deep frames drawn.  Tell buyers they must keep spritizing foundation with 1:1 syrup to get it drawn out.


I use all mediums and people who buy nucs - or nucs that have developed into a nuc-and-a-half - either

1) ...Typically, they bring their honey super (medium) and I put 7 drawn-out medium frames & all colony bees into it.  I keep some spares,  to sell them 3 frames in case they forget.  They put the medium on their bottom board, top with the screened inner lid, ratchet it down and take it away.
      In a couple of weeks when it's packing out, they set the medium on top their deep brood box & bottom board.  The bees build down, as in nature.  Voila.  A deep + a medium is a sizeable brood box.

2) OR: They plan ahead when they contact me, they buy all mediums, an they're thrilled to have all-the-same-size frames, which helps anyway when it comes time to pull a frame of brood above the QX to get the bees "upstairs."

I sell colonies for $150 which is dirt cheap.  Betterbee has overwintered nucs for $265.  Business has been slower this year because new beeks are having a hard time getting equipment at the local store.

@HP: No cert avail or needed here.  It's Florida...my inspecter knows me and knows I keep clean bees.


« Last Edit: April 30, 2022, 04:21:35 pm by FloridaGardener »

Offline beesnweeds

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2022, 10:46:44 pm »
Why not pull all the mediums and requeen them making splits then sell all the deeps with the box?
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Does this sound legitimate?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2022, 01:38:46 am »
.30WFC
Quote
Does this sound legitimate?

Not as described.

TheHoneyPump
Quote
To sell nucs, start with understanding what the nucleus colony -standard- is for your area. Build the product to meet the standard. There is one, you just may not know it. Find out.  The -standard- is what the beekeepers in your area constitutes a stable colony that is primed to advance quickly, and at what price point that is. 
For example. Nucs go as 4 deep frames here.  The -standard- 4F nuc is:
- an established laying queen
- 2 big frames of mature capped brood both sides
- 1 frame of brood all stages both sides
- 1 full heavy frame of resources (honey/pollen)
- all 4 frames covered 80% or more by the clustered bees population.
- a health certificate issued by the local inspector.

Agreed.....

Why not pull all the mediums and requeen them making splits then sell all the deeps with the box?

As long as what is being sold meets the solid 'honest' standard as described by TheHoneyPump.

But what are the odds of removing a top box of mediums from these nucs and having the needed requirements in the left over "deeps" meeting this standard?
Slim....
Much of what is needed to make a solid 'for sale' nuc will be in the mediums.


As beesnweeds, remove the mediums and built the deep 5 frames to standard, and then sell them.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.