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Author Topic: advise on buying bees  (Read 2992 times)

Offline RC

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advise on buying bees
« on: September 02, 2011, 11:49:34 am »
A guy on another forum has single deeps with bees for sale @ $125/ea. These bees are on the Brazilian Pepper until November, and he will sell them then. These were re-queened this past spring and treated for mites in August. This sounds like a decent deal, I'm wondering if there's any reason I shouldn't buy these bees, or at least, anything I should know.

Offline fish_stix

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2011, 12:19:03 pm »
No reason at all not to buy them. Should be very strong after the pepper flow.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2011, 12:35:13 pm »
If the brood box if full, not just foundation or drawn foundation and the hives are producing honey, it sounds like a great deal.
Jim
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Offline danno

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2011, 12:37:57 pm »
125.00 is a decent price.   You will most likely have to feed at that time of year so you should be ready to do so.  

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2011, 12:55:19 pm »
125.00 is a decent price.   You will most likely have to feed at that time of year so you should be ready to do so.  

We still have fall flows coming. Last year at this time Spanish came on strong, though I haven't seen any yet and we should get golden rod.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline danno

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2011, 01:40:45 pm »
125.00 is a decent price.   You will most likely have to feed at that time of year so you should be ready to do so.  

We still have fall flows coming. Last year at this time Spanish came on strong, though I haven't seen any yet and we should get golden rod.
Jim
It was stated in the start of this thread that these bee's wont be available until Nov

Offline BlueBee

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2011, 02:10:59 pm »
The weather in Florida just starts to get descent in Nov doesn't it :-D

Sounds like a good deal to get started with to me.

Offline danno

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2011, 03:41:52 pm »
I dont believe there is much available between Brazilian Pepper and orange blossom except maybe yellow jasmine but that poisonous

Offline iddee

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2011, 03:50:50 pm »
Regardless of the flow, are the boxes this years, or old and rotten with pop cans stapled to cover the holes. Is the comb this years, or so black and full of cocoons that brood can't be raised in them. When buying bees this time of year, you are only buying wax and wood. Bees and honey mean NOTHING.
"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 RC

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2011, 08:27:23 am »
Regardless of the flow, are the boxes this years, or old and rotten with pop cans stapled to cover the holes. Is the comb this years, or so black and full of cocoons that brood can't be raised in them. When buying bees this time of year, you are only buying wax and wood. Bees and honey mean NOTHING.

I haven't called the seller yet, I wanted to get your thoughts first, but the context of the post leads me to believe that the hives were new this past spring.I will certainly inspect them closely before plunking out any hard earned cash.
I dont quite understand the point about "Bees and honey mean nothing". Could you elaborate, please?
Do you feel that they won't make it thru the winter (if we have any)? I'm in North Central Florida, we don't get a lot of cold weather.

Offline Bee-Bop

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2011, 09:04:48 am »
My guess is;
These bees are probably out of the California nuts, then out of Texas, finally being shipped to good ole Florida, after the pepper harvest in November he will pull the honey for himself, then sell you the empty hives.

As iddee said, you may be just buying box's, wax, and some wore out bees.

This is not necessarily true, but is the way commercial operators work, check the bee journals, thousands of cheap hives after they have been stripped out !

Good Luck
Bee-Bop
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Offline iddee

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2011, 01:38:52 am »
You can buy hives in single deeps now and feed them 80 dollars worth of sugar this winter, or buy 80 dollar packages next spring.

Either way, the bees are worth nothing now unless 40 lbs. of honey comes with them. That don't happen in a single deep.
"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 BeeMaster2

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2011, 08:00:12 am »
You can buy hives in single deeps now and feed them 80 dollars worth of sugar this winter, or buy 80 dollar packages next spring.

Either way, the bees are worth nothing now unless 40 lbs. of honey comes with them. That don't happen in a single deep.

Here in North Fl, most of the old time BeeK's only winter single deeps. I left a fully capped shallow on top of my deep brood (no QE) last winter and removed it this past spring and it was still full. I agree, you need to make sure they have their winter supply in this box.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BjornBee

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #13 on: September 05, 2011, 09:15:57 am »
RC,
I'm a nuc producer. But I also try to tell both sides of the issue.
Here is some advice on both nucs (or hives) and packages.

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/packagevsnuc.html

At the bottom, there are some suggestions. One points out the issue of stressed bees, chemical tainted comb, and old comb. I think any hive or nuc should only be bought when such questions as the history of the comb, AFB history and treatment regiment, and other questions are openly answered. Knowing the beekeeper and his operation is also very important. Way too many disease and other issues are passed by good deals. Way too many buyers focus on the cost, and not the important information. I suggest you stay clear of migratory bees. There is a reason why there is something called CCD and migratory folks lose huge amounts of hives every year. Why anyone would want to buy from these operations and hives is a mystery to me.
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Offline Tommyt

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Re: advise on buying bees
« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2011, 10:26:03 am »
PM me if you want bee's I can get you some with 3 deeps that are in
 Palmetto, Fl 34221
They have been unattended for the last 2 plus months the wood is not
"A" but you'll get bees,brood,food inside,and choose what colony you
want,there are about a dozen hives,to choose from
 I don't want to price them on the board because of the rules PM me
I also hunt up in Mayo,may work on getting them up too you
I have to get there and look them over(not mine) but the owner
just can't get there........long story

Tommyt
 
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