Cost of beekeeping and poly nucs

[Macapacas]

Hi guys, what does everyone think about the huge jump in the cost of poly nucs? I can stomach the cost of a full national cedar beehive as I can justify they take a full colony. But the price of poly nucs have gone crazy before you know it they’ll be totally unaffordable and overpriced. I understand shipping and container costs but I’m having to look at selling a lesser product with my nucs as I just can’t afford the hike in poly prices and having to look at cheaper options. Anyone got any ideas or advice for keeping nuc box prices down?

 

[Erichalfbee]

My weekly food shop has rocketed over the last year. Cost of everything is rising quickly. I don't know how you as a consumer can keep the price of nuc boxes down. Make your own and give them a solid floor. Insulate the top. Add insulation around them if overwintering?

 

[drex]

I bought a Paynes poly when they first came out. Since then I have made my own from scrap wood. To over winter I put them together in a block and put insulation round the outside of the block. I cannot recall losing any over the winters in these.

 

[Ian123]

Prices of all poly products have been on the rise, not sure it’s even a huge jump but a continuous creep. The majority of poly started very simple but there is also a never ending list of additions that appear to also add to costs. I’m not sure the subject requires a vote, it’s more a simple fact. If prices continued to rise I’d consider a single brood per nuc option, roof and all are cheaper than most poly nuc options. All that’s required is a simple means to even partially close down space. Plus you’ll have far more flexibility with parts and expansion. Poly does have advantages but it’s possible to replicate in wood and nucs/ bees will happily cope in wooden equipment. There are definitely some over enthusiastic poly converts nowadays

 

[Boston Bees]

I can stomach the cost of a full national cedar beehive as I can justify they take a full colony.

There will always be a link between nuc prices and hive prices, as more and more people have cottoned on to the fact that by adding a brood extension (or 3) to a nuc box, you get a perfectly good hive. So if hive prices soar (as they have) you would expect nuc prices to follow, even if it weren't for the massive cost of production increases.

I’m having to look at selling a lesser product with my nucs as I just can’t afford the hike in poly prices and having to look at cheaper options. Anyone got any ideas or advice for keeping nuc box prices down?

I see more and more nucs for sale in correx boxes. I suspect this may become the norm.

When I sell nucs it's usually on condition that the buyer brings their own nuc box for me to fill with frames, but I am a very small scale hobbyist that just sells 10-30 nucs per year to stop getting overwhelmed with bees. Not an option for anyone commercial!

 

[Ian123]

Before any bs nucs were available I took poly Lang boxes(swienty) and put a wooden divider in place, this formed a end wall . Cut tight and siliconed in place you also had internal feeder. Not as good as my current bs honey boxes but cheaper and all that was available at the time.

 

[Hachi]

I make mine out of 19mm ply and cheap as chips

 

[Finman]

When Finland exported last year construction timber material, values rised 56% during January - August. Amount rised 11%. The reason is Covid billons which were delivered in Europe and in USA. Economy started to run so fast that capasity of power plants went to top in China and natural gas demand was too high in Britain.

Construction uses much styrene and many other sectors.

It is supply and demand question in styrene based materials.

 

[Sanntos]

Yes, it was gasoline on a fire. In Sweden the government immediately at Covid-19 outbreak spring 2020 in fear of economic slowdown supported the big companies with hundreds of billions, which they didn't need, they never even considered not to give dividends to the shareholders. So now ply has gone from 250 SEK to 380 SEK in a year.

 

[Finman]

Yes, it was gasoline on a fire. In Sweden the government immediately at Covid-19 outbreak spring 2020 in fear of economic slowdown supported the big companies with hundreds of billions, which they didn't need, they never even considered not to give dividends to the shareholders. So now ply has gone from 250 SEK to 380 SEK in a year.

Ok. Ply is +50% , like all construction timber on average.

 

[Newbeeneil]

When you read the trials and tribulations Daniel Bates of BS honeybees has had over the past few years (Beefarmer Feb 2022) trying to deal with polystyrene blowers who manufacture their products you can understand why they cost so much!
I like poly nucs and will use when I have them especially for overwintering but I can make a 5 frame cedar nuc for about £10 so that's what most of mine are.

 

[Swarm]

Time for more DIY.

 

[JamezF]

Time for more DIY.

A friend of mine says that stands for "Don't Involve Yourself"

James

 

[Sanntos]

I like poly hives, I have them, but about overwintering..... that's a common misconception, there's no difference between wood and poly. Healthy bees have no problem at all coping normal winter temperatures. Maybe Canada, Northern Scandinavia including Northern Finland there's a small advantage, but probably not.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My weekly food shop has rocketed over the last year. Cost of everything is rising quickly. I don't know how you as a consumer can keep the price of nuc boxes down. Make your own and give them a solid floor. Insulate the top. Add insulation around them if overwintering?

Our household is glad we've got both an Aldi and a Lidl within easy reach. I'm banished to browse the middle isles and the management gets the household stuff. Apparently my selection of food brands is unacceptable. I'm not as bad as my neighbour who apparently takes stuff out of the trolley if he considers it too dear and puts cheaper versions in. He's been banned from going in now and has to wait in the car.

 

[Swarm]

I like poly hives, I have them, but about overwintering..... that's a common misconception, there's no difference between wood and poly. Healthy bees have no problem at all coping normal winter temperatures. Maybe Canada, Northern Scandinavia including Northern Finland there's a small advantage, but probably not.

Certainly what I've observed. I like their convenience but will be looking to cobble more bits together and make do, the ones I have should do for a while.

 

[Finman]

there's no difference between wood and poly. Healthy bees have no problem at all coping normal winter temperatures. Maybe Canada, Northern Scandinavia including Northern Finland there's a small advantage, but probably not.

When I started with polyhives 1987, I compared 2 polyboxes for brood and 3cm thick pine boxes . The difference of build up was huge. Poly hives brought so much more honey, that I could pay two polyboxes in first year to each hive with that extra honey.

Finish beekeepers have allways used insulated hives.

Uninsulated hives use 50% more winter sugar.

In Michigan USA university recommends to use 50 kg sugar in winter and 3 langstroth boxes. In Finland we use on average 20 kg and prefer to use 1 langstroth box.

With electrict heating I found 20 years ago, that a big hive can produce 3 fold brood amount in May. The reason is mathematic formula of ball volume.



The more warmer the hive, the better the colony can keep the brood ball alive over freezing night in May.

It is easy to compare wooden hive and polyhive. But guys do not mind.
The thing is not to go alive over winter. Biggest advantage is spring buildup, and how fast the colony is able to forage real yield. Even if I tell this, guys say that it is nonsense.

When I was on Beemaster's forum, Californian beekeepers adviced Michigan beekeepers, that bees do not need insulations. California may have +25C in December and Michigan may have -25C. Those advisors were mote than frustrating.

 

[madasafish]

Poly hives are made from oil based product. Oil prices have doubled in a year.

I make mine from insulation board - used if possible. (Langstroth is easy, National a pia.) £10/nuc each/

Easy .

 

[Sanntos]

Build up is one thing, overwintering another. Poly is excellent in spring and hot days in summer, but not necessary for overwintering, that's all I say.
After 1987 is not always.
Winter sugar or total amount of sugar from september to april?

 

[Finman]

Healthy bees have no problem at all coping normal winter temperatures. Maybe Canada, Northern Scandinavia including Northern Finland there's a small advantage, but probably not.

Sanntos, in what place of Sweden you live?

Going over winter has nothing to do with healthy . If the food is finish, it is finish. If the cluster is too small to keep itself warm, it consumes too much food and its abdomen will be filled with poo.

In Finland bees cannot come out between November - February, and they cannot empty their gut.

Bees live with sugar 9 months. From September to May. It the colony consumes 1/3 more food, the food stores will be finish in March. When food consumption is biggest in May, and if weathers are bad, quite much hives have been lost in May.

Thanks to polyhives I have mostly difficulties to get rid of winter sugars at the end of May before new honey yield.