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Author Topic: $ for a swarm????????  (Read 6158 times)

Offline sticbow

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$ for a swarm????????
« on: June 06, 2013, 09:48:53 pm »
What would you pay for an average size swarm?  No equipment.  Just the bees.

Offline sc-bee

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2013, 09:52:03 pm »
Avg size swarm? What is an avg size swarm? Do you mean a 3lb package of bees w/ a queen? Or do you mean a captured swarm. If a captured swarm for me i would pay $0.
3lb package of bees with queen around here usually goes for $68-$80. Get a nuc if you can and be way ahead of the game.
John 3:16

Offline bailey

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2013, 10:00:43 pm »
I get paid to remove swarms. Otherwise I allow them to keep and enjoy their bees.
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Offline millipede

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2013, 10:01:50 pm »
Definitely would depend on the size. I assume you mean someone caught a swarm and is selling the bees to you? I might be tempted to buy a swarm off someone if it was huge and caught and in a box of some type. If I had to catch it myself, I would not pay for it. I would tell them to call a pest control company and see how much they charge. But I can get a 5 frame nuc for 80 bucks around here.
Of course, if it was stupidly cheap like 5 bucks I might pay it just from some more bees. lol

Offline iddee

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline millipede

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2013, 10:51:06 pm »
Heh, might be a way to motivate people to call you.

Offline sticbow

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2013, 12:21:53 am »
Yes,  a swarm that someone caught and is trying to sell.  I just threw out average size for a benchmark.

Offline millipede

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2013, 12:47:58 am »
I might be tempted to give 25- 30 bucks for a swarm with a queen, again, if it was in a box and all I had to do was dump it in my hive. Heck just the time savings is worth that much. But if the queen is not in there you are going to have issues unless you have some brood frames to put in the hive with the swarm.

Offline BlueBee

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2013, 01:02:58 am »
Depends if I have bees, or if I don't have bees  :-D

If I don't have bees, I would readily pay $60 for a nice swarm.

If I do have bees, I wouldn't pay more than $0 for a swarm.

Offline sc-bee

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2013, 01:58:22 am »
I guess if I was beeless or needed bees $30 might be a decent price not knowing how the queen is going to turn out. And of course alot of folks want swarm queens but I am not aware of them buying them.
John 3:16

Offline Nature Coast Beek

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2013, 07:08:13 am »
I always see ads on CL with people trying to charge for a "swarm" on their property or in their wall. That's a new one; the person doing the removal getting charged, but I see it a lot. Anyways, paying for JUST the captured swarm--I wouldn't. There are lots of swarms with virgin queens. I wouldn't pay for any bees without some sort of queen confirmation. In order to get that there needs to be a hive for that which really brings us full circle back to nucs. One last thing, if you simply pay for some sort of "swarm" in a box, what are your chances of them still absconding from the home you're going to provide....uh....pretty high. In my personal experience (learned the hard way), that when it comes to paying for bees, it's best to go with credible sources or swarms self-caught.

Offline S.Rummings

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2013, 08:44:35 am »
I would pay $0 for a swarm. If someone captures it for me and verifies there is a queen then it is not a swarm it is a package. If they are going to go that far I would prefer they just put some frames in there and verify the queen is laying. Now you have something worth paying for. If it is just a swarm then I will pass on one I have to work AND pay for and just get a "free" one tomorrow.
What qualifies this person with the swarm to be selling bees? Do you buy bees from just anyone? Do they offer any type of money back guarantee or provide some service that is worth paying for or are you just removing a pest from their property?

As said before, there is a better than average chance the swarm will abscond, be queenless, or otherwise not be viable. We should all join together and refuse to pay for swarms. Do not devalue the work you do.
If you wanted to create some good will and get someone to buy-in to the whole bee thing you could offer a jar of honey from the first harvest that swarm produces. Can you imagine the educational opportunity from that? I think someone would be glad to get a jar of honey from a swarm that was on their property. They would probably show it to all their friends.

Offline 10framer

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2013, 09:57:12 am »
i don't pay and i don't charge.  when you charge someone you assume a lot of liability and even though most people are happy to have the bees gone there are a lot of ridiculous lawsuits in the court system every day.  i pretty much avoid cut outs all together these days. 

Offline squidink

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2013, 09:42:30 am »
I would pay $50 (Aussie dollars that's about ($52.50) of your American money) for a swarm if the bees are in a cardboard box minimal traveling required.

I too charge to remove swarms.

Ben

Offline sticbow

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2013, 10:34:24 am »
This is why I asked.  The add appeared on Craigslist Thursday night.  I thought it was way too high, but like another post said, "they are worth what someone is willing to pay."

Honey Bees - Start BeeKeeping TODAY! - Sold Out - $75 (Milton)
These bees went quickly. If you want to be notified when we have more available please send a text-only message to the number below. Anyone thinking about getting into beekeeping? Today is your day, we captured 4 swarms off our hive today (06-06-13), each one needs a new home. They're swarmed off our BeeWeaver bred honeybees, which are disease resistant, mite tolerant and heavy honey producers. They need to be picked up today or early tomorrow at the latest and you have to have an empty hive ready to go.
 
$75/swarm
 
I'll vouch for how amazing the honey is from these bees, we collected over 35lbs the first year from our new bees, split the hive once and they are really easy bees to work with. None of our bees have been treated with antibiotics or chemicals of any kind. They are free of mites and foul-brood

Offline JP

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2013, 11:17:55 am »
They are worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for them but personally I just wouldn't feel right about selling a swarm for $75.00


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Offline sticbow

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #16 on: June 08, 2013, 11:39:23 am »
Happy to hear from "The Swarm King"!!!!  Hadn't noticed you online for a while JP.   Hope all is well.  Your response solidifys my persona of you on your videos.  Your a good man!!!

Offline gardeningfireman

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #17 on: June 08, 2013, 12:01:39 pm »
I charge to do colony removals, but not to retrieve a swarm. If a customer wants to buy a swarm from me, I charge $35 for catching the swarm for him/her, and if I install it in their hive, verifying there is a queen, that is another $10. To sell the bees in OH, they need an inspection slip. I just charge for the service of catching and hiving the "customer's swarm"! :-D When I have 5-frame nucs, I sell those (with inspection certificate) for $95, not including the box.

Offline rober

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #18 on: June 08, 2013, 12:05:55 pm »
i do not charge for swarm removals but tell folks i'll gladly accept cash donations for fuel. i've been averaging $20.00 donations. with the price of diesel fuel i'm pretty much breaking even. there is someone in the area who periodically offers single story hived swarms for sale for $100.00. this includes the woodenware & frames & are queen-right. that i think is a fair price. as far as a box of bees without knowing if there is a queen, i'd pass unless it was free. i've captured 8 swarms this year, have removed 2 hives from buildings, & have 2 trapouts in progress. some of the swarms were quite small & were combined. i've ended up with 5 hives to date. i have no reason to buy a swarm.

Offline D Semple

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Re: $ for a swarm????????
« Reply #19 on: June 09, 2013, 12:12:05 am »
Early primary swarms are worth 60 lbs. of honey here by the end of July.


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