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Author Topic: What to expect when buying a hive?  (Read 4242 times)

Offline kalium

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What to expect when buying a hive?
« on: March 16, 2014, 07:01:32 am »
Hi all,

What is generally expected when selling an established hive (not a nuc, but say a 10 frame deep)?

I would've thought a well laying queen, free of disease that is more or less 'full' of bees with some stores. Or do you
only get this if you are lucky? Buying a nuc seems to be a relatively known quantity from what I've seen
(say, two brood and a frame of pollen and honey in a four frame nuc), but I can find a lot less
out there about what to expect in an 'established' hive.

Cheers.


Offline CJ

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2014, 07:11:13 pm »
Hey Kalium,

IMO; so far as cost, it may differ a bit between suppliers, and for varying reasons (breed, health, stores, location, commercial or amateur etc.) so it wouldn't hurt to ask around to work out what the "norm" is around your location(If you're part of your local bee club, I'm sure everyone would be happy to share what they think is fair).
So far as what to expect, the feller we purchased our very first 2 hives off based his price on boxes; boxes of bees and boxes of stores (he also replaced queens every 2 years). When we got ours it was late March so we opted for 3 box hives (2 brood and 1 full honey super) knowing we were not far from winter, so they were really strong and had ample stores.
In our case he was really good in explaining the exact cost of the wood ware (frames, boxes, bases and lids), wax and honey (both by weight) which made it a bit easier to get your head around the cost of the bees & queen.
I think it is easier to quantify a nuc given its usual sold in the same configuration it was made, and other than number of frames in the nuc, they all pretty much have the same recipe.
Are you looking to buy some new stock or sell your own?

Offline kalium

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2014, 05:43:53 am »
Just buying for the moment.  From doing a bit of research online, the "norm" is around $180 for a 10 frame deep in my area. Although what exactly are in those hives, I wouldn't know.

I can easily see how much woodware is to buy,  and even a new queen (not that that guarantees quality...). So I have a reference point for those. Unfortunately I don't know what a frame of bees is normally worth, or a frame of pollen etc. I guess going out and buying hives from half a dozen different bee keepers would give me an idea of what you could expect.


Offline Joe D

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2014, 11:51:14 am »
I bought three established hives a few years back, they were at an estate.  The old beek had died from cancer.  The boxes were in poor to bad repair.  There were lots of bees, 1 deep and 2 shallows full of honey and pollen.  They hadn't been taken care of for up to a year.  I got them and the other old supers that the beek had for $125 per hive.  The old beek had told his daughter what to charge before he died.  I think over here a double deep brood chamber with a honey super or two could bring around $400, all in real good shape.  The hives that I have heard about for sale were with in 50 miles, so I would look at them before buying.  Good luck to you and your bees




Joe

Offline kalium

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2014, 02:11:38 am »
Ok, so I'm now in a better position to answer my own question.

I got another hive. Most frames are a mix of brood and capped honey. The
brood is very good shape (nice tight clusters from the centre of the frame out),
With a big visible queen who is laying very well, lots and lots of eggs. Bees covering
about 5 or 6 frames.

When buying or selling single deeps, this is closer to what I am expecting.



Offline Lone

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2014, 10:06:46 am »
I'm thinking of selling some, so I'd like to know from that point of view also. 

I'd like to know how much to charge for one 10 fr deep brood/honey combination, a 5 frame nuc, and a single 10 fr brood box. 

How much honey is generally left in the super?

Are there any requirements on the part of the vendor, such as notifying the DPI?

Any other advice?

Kalium, I'd expect you'd make sure there were eggs in the hive, a good brood pattern, and pollen and honey stores.  Basically, a self-sufficient hive. No signs of disease. Preferably ask for a sample to send away for the AFB test before buying.

By the way, how's the wonky hive?

Lone

Offline amun-ra

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2014, 05:48:03 pm »
Hi lone was up your way on satdy morning plenty flowering out there.Two meetings missed and now selling hives ???
I bought mine last year full deepth brood and one super no honey stores to speak of for $ 250.00 per hive.
Are you going to palm creek??
Every day the sun shines and gravity sucks= free energy

Offline kalium

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2014, 07:54:00 pm »

By the way, how's the wonky hive?

Lone

Well this new hive of mine is actually the replacement for the old wonky hive.

I took the wonky hive back to the fellow I bought it from, and he was more than
happy to replace it.

Offline Lone

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Re: What to expect when buying a hive?
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2014, 09:10:23 am »
Quote
Hi lone was up your way on satdy morning plenty flowering out there.Two meetings missed and now selling hives Huh
I bought mine last year full deepth brood and one super no honey stores to speak of for $ 250.00 per hive.
Are you going to palm creek??

G'day Amun, I know we've missed meetings..I'm sorry   :'(  I just couldn't resist taking lil Liza Jane to a working dog school this month. She showed all them dogs what not to do. There was a club member at that also, from out west.  They have trained dogs and bees.
I don't remember you calling in for a cuppa though when you were out here.  Mind you, our secretary did just that, woke me up on nightshifts, and I never got any more sleep.  Hives have been swarming like crazy round here.  Missed a good one at home because we ran out of bottom boards and it had bolted before we whacked one together.  (need a carpenter..).  A mate is spending all our honey dough on more gear in Brissy, but that doesn't include the traps. 

If I add up the cost of the woodwork/excluder/trap/etc it would come to nearly the $250.  We actually had someone here last week looking for a hive, but has to set things up first.

Did you have a native bee sub mtg?  I have been busy with things and the stingless bees have been low on priority.

Kalium - might be a good idea to do an AFB test on the new hive.

Lone

 

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