cost of a hive

[enrico]

I agree you are charging for everything including the time the bees have taken to build full frames.....I would settle for nothing less than £200 for a good quality hive with an established colony inside.

E

 

[midnight sun]

I agree you are charging for everything including the time the bees have taken to build full frames.....I would settle for nothing less than £200 for a good quality hive with an established colony inside.

E

Last year just 11 frames with bees (no boxes, bring your own) were going for £200 to £210! I need to move!

 

[REDWOOD]

Look at it another way, if the hive was stolen how much would you put on the insurance form, the hardware alone is going to be £250, a full colony £200 and a potential loss of honey production, being modest, is another £200.

 

[djg]

To broaden the discussion: when would you expect an overwintered nuc to be available for sale ? And when would be the optimal time to install an overwintered nuc ?

Logically it should be available for sale anytime, I suppose, but I'm guessing that late March would be a good time to install a purchased overwintered nuc. By then any problems with build-up should be obvious (but possibly not earlier, if the weather's bad) and the main nectar flows lie ahead...

 

[Pete D]

To broaden the discussion: when would you expect an overwintered nuc to be available for sale ? And when would be the optimal time to install an overwintered nuc ?

Logically it should be available for sale anytime, I suppose, but I'm guessing that late March would be a good time to install a purchased overwintered nuc. By then any problems with build-up should be obvious (but possibly not earlier, if the weather's bad) and the main nectar flows lie ahead...

From my perspective its ready when its ready, it meets the criteria laid out in the guidelines of what a good nuc should be.
This could be anytime from late Feb to early April, as you say dependent on many things. When its ready it can be installed.

Yes they could be sold anytime but not responsibly.

I do smile when I see adverts for 2015 nucs available mid May. How do they know, its a best guess surely............even then work it back and the queen would need to be mated early to mid April, drones available late March to early April.........unless of course mid May is when the imported queens are delivered.........

 

[djg]

Thanks Pete D, from one 14 x 12'er to another...

 

[Dishmop]

A lot depends on:

Material of hive Ply; Pine ;Western red cedar; polystyrene
Quality of hive

Its probably only a person who is just starting that would buy a colony and hive....and have no idea that the construction material would equate to the cost of the hive.