Best place for 2nds equipment cheap brood/super boxes

[Beersinthegarden]

Good evening

I see a lot of people saying don't make your own hive or boxes because seconds equipment can picked up so cheap it's not worth it, so if this is indeed true where should I be looking for these bargain bee boxes?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

'Second quality' is just a term that the big players use to describe boxes made from British (not Canadian) cedar and frames where also they've been a bit light on the finish and quality control.
The next opportunity to grab a bargain is the last weekend of this month where, due to the Covid lockdown Maisemore apiaries have changed their Saturday morning on site bargain scrummage to a three day online sale - I can't fault the quality of their 'second quality' frames or boxes.
Check out their website.

 

[Ian123]

I’ve found all the seconds equipment from the main suppliers decent value there’s the odd knots but even if the odd 1s rattle about a spot of glue does the trick. If left laying around for a while I find the frame parts can get a little brittle but that and the very occasional clamp on a box part is it. That may just be me being particular.

 

[Repwoc]

Bee Equipment currently has some seconds boxes on sale. Prices are about half those for first quality. Cedar nat super = £16.25, brood = £18.25 but you have to add rails and nails.

Maisie's sale may be cheaper - I think I paid £12.50 for supers a couple of years ago.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maisie's sale may be cheaper .

They are, broods £17.00 and shallows £13.75 - and the nails come as part of the pack, you also don't need rails as they have chamfered sides to rest the frames on - all you need is castellations if you use them

 

[Repwoc]

Ah yes - I didn't realise the prices were out. Worth waiting a few days then.

 

[shudderdun]

Rails

They are, broods £17.00 and shallows £13.75 - and the nails come as part of the pack, you also don't need rails as they have chamfered sides to rest the frames on - all you need is castellations if you use them

I bought some castellated rails, can't remember where from, but they ended up buckled and bent under the weight of the honey in the supers, the edges can be a bit sharp too, I do prefer rails, especially the ones I cut from stainless steel, ones I "acquired" as off cuts from work !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I bought some castellated rails, can't remember where from, but they ended up buckled and bent under the weight of the honey in the supers, the edges can be a bit sharp too

It depends where you get them from. I bought a load from Beehive Bits a few years ago - they may have been cheap but they were also nasty - slightly more rigid than a recycled Clark's pie tin and razor sharp, I'm on the point of replacing them. The best quality ones you can get are from Maisie's or (quite a bit cheaper but same quality) Simon the Beekeeper.

 

[joelsoo]

Thanks for the tip off, I need to stick up on more brood and super frames so perfect time to buy these seconds

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[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks for the tip off, I need to stick up on more brood and super frames so perfect time to buy these seconds

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Made up about 500 'second quality' frames this spring - apart from the occasional broken wedge (which meant the expense of an extra gimp pin), not one reject

 

[joelsoo]

Made up about 500 'second quality' frames this spring - apart from the occasional broken wedge (which meant the expense of an extra gimp pin), not one reject

I made 100 supers and 75 brood, I got 1 or 2 snapped side bars but I glued it back and put screws/nails to repair (could have just dumped it) and had used into the hives.

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[Niv]

I mainly use:

Simon the beekeeper (via ebay)

Bee Equipment

Maismore

Occasionally Thornes can have a decent deal on some stuff (but never on brood / supers)

Cant really fault any of them.

 

[Newbeeneil]

The only problem which causes me to dump any part of seconds is with the occasional knot in a top bar which causes a kink - vertically or horizontally - only had about 3 in a 1000+ frames this year.
Plus of course the odd wedge with a knot in it but that can be fixed with an extra nail.

 

[Repwoc]

I made 100 supers and 75 brood, ...

That's a lot of boxes for four hives!

 

[joelsoo]

That's a lot of boxes for four hives!

Lol yeah, some hives now is already running double brood boxes and double supers per hive. Intention is for them to all be double brood and super, looking at the laying and brood frames of some of them it looks like they may all be on double brood boxes.

And I also have 3 no 6 frame nucs running, one or 2 of them may have to add a nuc super or 2 so I am borderline of using them all!



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[Niv]

I think you may have missed a subtle joke there - even with double brood / supers, 100 super boxes (as it reads ;P) makes for 25 supers per hive (as your sig says you have 4 hives) which makes for pretty high hives!

 

[joelsoo]

I think you may have missed a subtle joke there - even with double brood / supers, 100 super boxes (as it reads ;P) makes for 25 supers per hive (as your sig says you have 4 hives) which makes for pretty high hives!

Haha, I meant super frames and brood frames. Lol

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[Repwoc]

Haha, I meant super frames and brood frames. Lol

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Sorry I read your post out of context - had I re-read the few prior posts first I would have twigged you meant frames. I actually thought your number of hives must be wrong!

 

[joelsoo]

I can't imaging having to look after 100 colonies. It would be [emoji37]

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[echidna]

I've used Maisie's "rock bottom" hives which are available outside sale time. I can sometimes see why they are seconds but I haven't had anything I can't use, and for the cost saving I'd always go for those if I want wood not poly.