Best Place to buy a NUC

[highgate]

Dear All,

I am new to beekeeping and have joined my local beekeepers association and taken the taster and beginners course.

I was hoping to get started this year, but was wondering where the best places to get a reasonably priced NUC preferably in April/ May if possible.

My primary concern would be for the bees to be of a good temperemant as I do have two young and very curious children.

If it makes a difference, I live in North London.

PS Second question, is to do with buying the National. Here I was wondering whether it would be OK to buy on of the pine/ cheaper wood hives off of cheap bay and treating it with linseed oil/ beeswax/ painting or worth paying up for a Cedar pre-built Uber-hive (twice or thrice the price)


Any suggestions very gratefully accepted ;-)

 

[Wingy]

1) where to buy a Nuc of bees? A bit like asking where to buy a car in relation to the answers you will get. Someone may make a recommendation where someone else may have had a bad experience with the same place.

I’d ask within your association I’m sure someone would help you out. Our association quite often provide caught swarms for new members (ok not always best but could be re queened)

2) how much do you want to spend & what do you want it to look like? You may find the same thing cheaper through one of the traders rather than an auction site.

I went for pine boxes and painted them (decorative) for the garden. Made all my own floors, roofs, stands & crown boards.

Works for me but options are endless
Good luck which ever route you decide
Wingy

 

[madasafish]

Dear All,

PS Second question, is to do with buying the National. Here I was wondering whether it would be OK to buy on of the pine/ cheaper wood hives off of cheap bay and treating it with linseed oil/ beeswax/ painting or worth paying up for a Cedar pre-built Uber-hive (twice or thrice the price)


Any suggestions very gratefully accepted ;-)

If starting out, there is always the possibility that you may have to give up - for whatever reason - and sell.

Spending a lot starting out is a recipe in that case for losing a lot of money..

And if you don't give up and enjoy bees , you will not stop at one hive - that means more money..

Worth considering what ifs.

(I was born in Highgate but emigrated to Scotland when 5 years old and learned Scottish pecuniary habits - eg meanness!)

 

[Curly green fingers]

I would ask at your association you can usually put an email out asking for a nuc or a larger colony which would include a complete hive.
Good luck.

 

[highgate]

And if you don't give up and enjoy bees , you will not stop at one hive - that means more money..

Worth considering what ifs.

(I was born in Highgate but emigrated to Scotland when 5 years old and learned Scottish pecuniary habits - eg meanness!)

Not meanness mate, common sense, that's why I am not pulling the trigger, always easier said then done and imho at the moment I do have premonitions albeit after 10 years of watching on the sidelines, there is an itch that needs to be scratched before being stung .

Think that cheap bay is a calling.

 

[highgate]

I would ask at your association you can usually put an email out asking for a nuc or a larger colony which would include a complete hive.
Good luck.

Sadly there is an awful lot of us this year, hence looking slightly further a field.

I know that there are a couple near me at the moment a 5 Nuc is between £175 - 225 in Herts and London (excluding the really expensive ones). Not cheap :/

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I do have two young and very curious children.

Never mind, I'm sure God and their mother loves them

 

[Angry_Mob]

PS Second question, is to do with buying the National. Here I was wondering whether it would be OK to buy on of the pine/ cheaper wood hives off of cheap bay and treating it with linseed oil/ beeswax/ painting or worth paying up for a Cedar pre-built Uber-hive (twice or thrice the price)


Any suggestions very gratefully accepted ;-)

Abelo poly hive, pre assembled, pre painted, much cheaper than the cedar hives and superior insulation properties to wood.

 

[drex]

Not meanness mate, common sense, that's why I am not pulling the trigger, always easier said then done and imho at the moment I do have premonitions albeit after 10 years of watching on the sidelines, there is an itch that needs to be scratched before being stung .

Think that cheap bay is a calling.

Beware when buying on eBay. Sometimes the product is cheaper through the big retailers, and with them you can be guaranteed of quality. If you are handy with a hammer then buying flat packs offers a reasonable saving. I have always used Thornes budget cedar hives and have no complaints. Cedar will last a lifetime. Pine, no matter what preservative you use will eventually rot. I make a lot of stuff myself, like floor, roofs and crown and clearer boards.
I prefer the aesthetics of wood, despite knowing that, in general, the bees will do better in Poly.

 

[birdsandbees]

It still amazes me the price tag some put on Nucs in the Spring, I've seen some for around £300.00 and they don't even come with a reusable Nuc just a Correx one, I sold a few last Spring for £150, needless to say they didn't hang around long.
That said, there is as big variation in what you get for your money and I've heard stories of half empty Nucs, bad tempered ones or worse still, diseased ones!
better to buy from someone locally if possible, not because of the local bees are better mantra but because you can actually go and check them before buying and more often than not a good local supplier will be happy to give you advice and support.

As others have touched upon, one hive will invariably lead to several more but you don't want to fork out a fortune if it doesn't work out, consider that if you do buy more then you want them to all be compatible, I started out with a Top bar, home made, then bought a pine National which given a couple of coats of exterior gloss is still good for a few years yet but as I knew I would want to expand I went for Poly, cheaper by a long chalk or at least they were! my supplier of choice being Masiemore but they've upped their prices, if I had the opportunity to start again I'd probably go for Swienty Poly's, not only are they a good solid piece of kit that will last decades but at Tradex a complete hive with two supers was £91.00 twenty quid cheaper than Maisemore poly Nationals.

Each to their own I guess but thought I'd share my thoughts

 

[B+.]

Any suggestions very gratefully accepted ;-)

A piece of advice that is often overlooked is to match the equipment with the bee you intend to keep. This may sound confusing at the moment but some bees are more prolific than others. They will almost certainly require multiple (2-3) National sized brood boxes while a less prolific bee may only require one. Alternatively a larger format hive may be adequate for even the most prolific bee

 

[highgate]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice it has been gratefully received and digested.

I have finally pulled the trigger on both the hive and NUC and all going well they're telling me that I should have everything in place for the middle to end of April.

Being my first venture, I've chosen to pay up a little and go for a Redwood National as I've found an amazing craftsmen and the price is not that much higher than some of the other places and cheaper than the likes of Thorne! Naturally I am assuming that this will be the start of many many years otherwise it will be one bloody expensive hobby!

Cost of the NUC + Hive + Equipment = partial mortgage on wife and kids!

 

[birdsandbees]

otherwise it will be one bloody expensive hobby!

Cost of the NUC + Hive + Equipment = partial mortgage on wife and kids!

Ahhh yes, welcome to the bottomless pit that is beekeeping!

Just need a good year like last year so that you can recoup some costs with Honey sales

 

[jeff33]

As a word of warning 1 hive may be insufficient come the summer so have some spare equipment ready. It is surprising how you run out quickly when you first start. My first bought in nuc swarmed within 2 months and had to do emergency buying.

 

[birdsandbees]

As a word of warning 1 hive may be insufficient come the summer so have some spare equipment ready. It is surprising how you run out quickly when you first start. My first bought in nuc swarmed within 2 months and had to do emergency buying.

Yep, I imagine it happens a lot, folks want a jam packed Nuc as value for money BUT it can mean that if they are on the verge of swarm mode even if transferred quickly once brood over several frames emerges they quickly expand and go fully into it, I sold a Nuc to a guy last year, he had a hive to move them into and I did warm him that he needed to move them pronto and keep an eye on space as they had lost of sealed brood, guess what a few weeks later he called to say they had swarmed!

Luckily he caught them.

 

[jeff33]

The big issue when you start is that you only have foundation and no drawn frames. Adding a super or another BB may seem like additional and plentiful space to you but not for the bees as they cannot do anything with this added frames until frames are drawn.

 

[highgate]

Yep, I imagine it happens a lot, folks want a jam packed Nuc as value for money BUT it can mean that if they are on the verge of swarm mode even if transferred quickly once brood over several frames emerges they quickly expand and go fully into it, I sold a Nuc to a guy last year, he had a hive to move them into and I did warm him that he needed to move them pronto and keep an eye on space as they had lost of sealed brood, guess what a few weeks later he called to say they had swarmed!

Luckily he caught them.

As a word of warning 1 hive may be insufficient come the summer so have some spare equipment ready. It is surprising how you run out quickly when you first start. My first bought in nuc swarmed within 2 months and had to do emergency buying.

Funny you guys should mention this, as the guy I am buying the NUCs from has said that they're having a bountiful start to the summer. I upgraded my hive to a 10x14 and then realised that the NUC is probably a standard :/ So may have been a little bit of a wasted purchase, as I might still need to buy a standard brood box.

He suggested a Polyhive and a minimum of two. £110 + painting sounds a lot cheaper. Am guessing I'll have my pretty looking classic hive but this with is quickly adding up :/

Oh yes, got the wife involved and she has joined me in the taster and the introduction to bee keeping classes (figured two people looking after the bees would be better and needed the buy in for the garden and kids ) So "Education" and books has also cost a pretty penny. Me thinks I need two seasons to get initial outlay back lol!

So Question: Is it worth getting a National Poly Hive or now that I've bought the classic to stick with that for the second hive?

Thanks again for all your help.


PS Almost going towards 4 figures if you factor in everything :-/

 

[Curly green fingers]

It's up to you the frames fit both and it is good to compare this will be my first season with poly's .

 

[Angry_Mob]

I assume you mean the Abelo poly when you say pre-painted? In which case the Abelo national is compatible with wooden national as it has the same dimensions.

Also would be better getting the abelo hive at £125 which comes with two supers.

 

[drex]

Presume you mean 14x12 . Those frames are 12 inches deep and standard are only 8.5, so standard will go into a 14x12 but you will get brace comb built on the bottom of frames. Thrones do sell an extension for frames, but it looks cumbersome. Fairly simple to swap bees over onto different size frames. I would advise you decide on what hives you want to run and stick to one format. A mix of different formats is asking for headaches. Enjoy your bees when you get them.