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G and T

New Bee
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Apr 19, 2010
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Location
West cumbria
Hive Type
National
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1
Can anyone advise us 'beginners' what to expect when buying bees and how much to pay.
 
:angelsad2:
Can anyone advise us 'beginners' how much to pay.

national Nucs

£200++ from a national bee equipment comapany
£140-£150 from a specialist bee farmer plus £10 for nuc( or more)
£80-90 from a freindly memeber of your BKA
Swarms...free or if you do the swarm control ..they often pay you

Can anyone advise us 'beginners' what to expect when buying bees .

JUST out right panic when the bees arrive :)


dont expecr to re use the Nucbox , it wil be one up from a carboarde box

you should have four frames of bees and one of store, if you want you can buy them with a bee inspectors cert, but they cost more, it also costs about £5 extra to have a marked queen with clipped wings.

prices are normally lower from june/julys for nuc with a new year queen as opposed to over wintered queen for a May Nuc

This year with high overwinter losses...the sky is the limit, if 70% losses in scotland are true ( from stoneleigh)

cheaper nuc from a bee farmer, tend to be carnies with imported queen...worry if she arrive in a queen cage
 
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A good summary by Muswell Metro.

I would only add that there is also a seasonal element to the value of bees that reflects the potential honey making capacity versus the maintenance required.
In simple terms a May nucleus is worth a lot more than an August nucleus.
 
125 quid.

No beginner wants bees that are bad tempered or nervous on the combs.

Every beginner wants a queen that is marked.

Nucs should be filling out their box and ready to go into a hive.

Check out the BBKA 'Buying a Nucleus' or similar title help sheet.
 
A good summary by Muswell Metro.

I would only add that there is also a seasonal element to the value of bees that reflects the potential honey making capacity versus the maintenance required.
In simple terms a May nucleus is worth a lot more than an August nucleus.



A swarm of bees in May, is worth a load of hay.
A swarm of bees in June, is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm of bees in July, is not worth a fly.........

Old nursery rhyme............. :)

Frisbee
 
A swarm of bees in May, is worth a load of hay.
A swarm of bees in June, is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm of bees in July, is not worth a fly.........

Old nursery rhyme............. :)

Frisbee

I often wonder how true that is anymore. With global warming and significantly less severe winters (OK, this one excepted) I wouldn't even bat an eyelid at housing a swarm in July and with some judicious feeding expect them to come through the winter successfully.

Adam
 
I often wonder how true that is anymore. With global warming and significantly less severe winters (OK, this one excepted) I wouldn't even bat an eyelid at housing a swarm in July and with some judicious feeding expect them to come through the winter successfully.

Adam
Think the old rhyme refers to how much honey you may expect them to collect,not if they make it through winter,a reasonable size swarm in late september will make it through winter if fed, no problem.
 
Best have a swarm in May then ....
 
Global warming:rolleyes: Natural change. Sometimes I wonder if people know the earth used to be a big ball of gas. Caveman - 'Oh know the icecaps are melting and we have a big sea between England and France where land used to be! It's all our fault! Quick put out that recently discovered fire!'
 
Think the old rhyme refers to how much honey you may expect them to collect,not if they make it through winter,a reasonable size swarm in late september will make it through winter if fed, no problem.

I think it also refers to a time when bees were kept in straw skeps and for most of the time fended for themselves
 
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Global warming:rolleyes: Natural change. Sometimes I wonder if people know the earth used to be a big ball of gas. Caveman - 'Oh know the icecaps are melting and we have a big sea between England and France where land used to be! It's all our fault! Quick put out that recently discovered fire!'

:iamwithstupid:
 
Re Prices

Thank you very much - Your advice (and poetry) is a great help
 
I think it also refers to a time when bees were kept in straw skeps and for most of the time fended for themselves

I would also imagine that the saying is from the days of skeps,but still a swarm is a swarm,weather its being put into a skep a hive or a tin can, regards how well they are likely to do regards honey, and the month of the year the swarm is hived.
 
I think you may well have plenty of people knocking at your door Chris me thinks
 

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