Author Topic: 2011 nuc prices? (Read 6666 times)

bee-nuts · « **on:** January 08, 2011, 03:44:17 pm »

From what I have seen and heard nucleus and package prices have taken a big hike in price this year. A operation near me charged $85 for five frame nucs last spring and will be charging $115.00 This year, and $76 for 3lb packages. I see others charging around $120 for nucs too.

what are prices in your area?

cam · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2011, 05:11:53 pm »

I'm charging $120 to $95 depending on quantity.

AllenF · « **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2011, 09:14:00 pm »

90 something to 100 for nucs and 60 something for packages.

rdy-b · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2011, 10:49:46 pm »

Quote from: AllenF on January 08, 2011, 09:14:00 pm

90 something to 100 for nucs and 60 something for packages.

what about queens ALLEN -i have heard prices from HAWAI are at 20 bucks
even large orders-where you could get them for 16 before the mites and bettals-RDY-B

AllenF · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2011, 11:15:42 pm »

Hardeman Apaiaries has queens for 14.75 each for the spring. Prices always drop mid summer.

rdy-b · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2011, 04:02:15 am »

yea for a quality queen thats a great price--RDY-B

bailey · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2011, 07:27:52 pm »

ill be selling nucs for 100 this spring.
grafted queens from survivor stock.

bailey

applebwoi · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2011, 10:20:57 am »

What would be a reasonable price to pay for hives/nucs established from swarms captured the same year, assuming they were healthy?

bee-nuts · « **Reply #8 on:** January 12, 2011, 03:07:34 am »

If you re-queen it I would say it all depends on how big it is. As is, I would not want any swarm from AHB territory, but Im from Wisconsin.

bee-nuts · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2011, 05:07:45 am »

I have seen prices as high as $150 for a five frame nuc. WOW!

T Beek · « **Reply #10 on:** January 12, 2011, 01:27:37 pm »

Me too bee-nuts, that's why I'm building NUC boxes and learning all I can about keeping/wintering them. We've got to raise queens locally and if no one is doing it in our area we have to do it ourselves. Nucs are becoming very popular/expensive and I've already read some reports of packages, some brood and honey frames being dumped into NUC boxes in the south and being sold as Northern Nucs to unsuspecting northern beeks. The Northern States Queen Breeder Association (NSQBA) has a member in Wisconsin and some on the forum. May be a good place to start seeking local queens. I'm afraid the prices are only going to go up for NUCs.

And that's not even talking about the ban on Aussie bees and how that's gonna affect what's available this year. Glad I already ordered mine and have a few strong colonies wintering (for) now.

thomas

AllenF · « **Reply #11 on:** January 12, 2011, 02:09:19 pm »

I believe the Aussie ban only hits the Almond/ Cali/ Early West Coast market a little hard. They buy the queens by the hundreds and would set them up now in hives for the almonds. By the time our spring summer market is ready for our (US) queens, they can't ship. So your early queens will cost more. July queens will be the same as normal (with the yearly mark up).

hardwood · « **Reply #12 on:** January 12, 2011, 03:45:51 pm »

We're still at $80 for our nucs, but will be going up a tad next year.

Scott

AllenF · « **Reply #13 on:** January 12, 2011, 06:31:54 pm »

$80 for a 2 frame nuc, not bad :-D. But it is all about location. Shipping them west or way north can double the cost.

T Beek · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2011, 06:45:02 pm »

Still another good reason to raise them locally, a fair price (w/out S&H) AND regionally adapted bees 8-)

thomas

specialkayme · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2011, 06:52:19 pm »

Along the same lines, sorry to hijack the thread bee-nutz, how do you guys define a 5 frame nuc? Do you consider it 2 frames of brood, 2 frames of food (pollen and nectar) and one frame of comb? Or three frames of brood and two frames of food? Or any other variation?

I apparently had a differing opinion on what a nuc was last year. Every other year it was 3-4 frames of brood and 1-2 frames of food. No wax, all filled and almost ready to be put in a 10 frame box. This last year I got a nuc that was one frame of brood, one full frame of food, one half frame of food, and two frames that were halfway drawn out. When I contacted the seller he said it was industry standard to sell one frame brood, two frames food, one frame drawn (but empty) and one frame of foundation. He thought it was better to give me two frames partially drawn then one frame fully drawn and one frame of foundation. I didn't want to argue with the guy, just moved on (but paid $110 for it).

Most nuc prices I've seen are around $120. Some as low as $85 or $90, but they don't last long.

If prices go up and quality goes down at the same time, it is truely a seller's market. I'll be making my own nucs to overwinter this spring (spent the last few months reading up on it).

hardwood · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2011, 06:58:38 pm »

We only sell what we consider "strong" nucs...3 frames brood, 1 frame honey and pollen, 1 frame foundation (or a foundationless frame depending on the customer) for expansion.

Scott

msully · « **Reply #17 on:** January 12, 2011, 07:08:07 pm »

Last year I was getting $80-$85 for nice strong nuc's. Typically 3-4 frames of brood and the rest drawn comb/honey/pollen. From what I'm hearing I'll probably boost my price to about $100 this year. Of course I'd sell them for $120 if I could get it!!

Mike

bee-nuts · « **Reply #18 on:** January 13, 2011, 02:55:00 am »

To me a five frame nuc should hold five frames full of bees, two or more frames of brood with stores of pollen and honey. If you are getting four frames of bees and they are pulling a feeder and installing a frame of foundation right before sale they should tell you so. I have bought nucs with five frames of brood, and the typical pollen and honey arc on top of frames.

I think if you are getting two frames of brood you are not getting a nuc that has had a laying queen in it for three or four weeks but one just made up and sold as soon as made. If you give a queen three weeks to lay, she will fill the nuc with brood. At least thats my experiance.

I also plan on trying to winter nucs this coming winter. I actually am this winter but single deeps with six to eight frames of bees. All six are alive at this point. I will try to keep up enough equipment to take advantage of all swarm cells this coming season so I can have the queens needed to make small nucs in late july to built up to five frames of bees and winter them side by side, wrapped and insulated.

T Beek · « **Reply #19 on:** January 13, 2011, 08:24:55 am »

Quote from: bee-nuts on January 13, 2011, 02:55:00 am

To me a five frame nuc should hold five frames full of bees, two or more frames of brood with stores of pollen and honey. If you are getting four frames of bees and they are pulling a feeder and installing a frame of foundation right before sale they should tell you so. I have bought nucs with five frames of brood, and the typical pollen and honey arc on top of frames.

I think if you are getting two frames of brood you are not getting a nuc that has had a laying queen in it for three or four weeks but one just made up and sold as soon as made. If you give a queen three weeks to lay, she will fill the nuc with brood. At least thats my experiance.

I also plan on trying to winter nucs this coming winter. I actually am this winter but single deeps with six to eight frames of bees. All six are alive at this point. I will try to keep up enough equipment to take advantage of all swarm cells this coming season so I can have the queens needed to make small nucs in late july to built up to five frames of bees and winter them side by side, wrapped and insulated.

We're in agreement again bee-nuts, instead of relying on southern raised queens and bees with who knows what kind of history, I'm spending my energy, after five years of buying southern packages/queens, learning the techniques required to "keep" bees and raise queens in our neck of the woods. I bought a NUC (?) two years agao, brought it home and the bees obsconded within a week. I don't believe it was ever a NUC colony, I just didn't knwo any better. Won't let that happen again.

thomas