Crates for packages?

[Chris B]

Any suggestions anyone?
I don't mind a bit of DIY but what I'm really after is good value i.e. under £10 total cost of time and materials (I'll be paying my 16 year old £5/h for any DIY).
I need about 50 to 100 for next spring.
(used multiboxes this year but £20 each and charging a deposit adds complexity and less convenient for all).
I bought a corex box from Mike Roberts for £10 but didn't like it much. I'd use something like it if the price was right though.
I thought Lyson did something too but can't find anything on their current catalogue.


Thanks

 

[Into the lions den]

Try this Chris.

www.apijuneda.com/BEENUK.htm

Yes, I have used them. Cost is only a coupl;e of quid plus carriage from Spain. You can carve a load of holes in the sides and net them over if its actual packages you want to put inside.

Most actual package cartons are one trip items made by the shippers, and unless you can really sterlise them reuse is NOT recommended as they get contaminated easily, such as with nosema due to stress and some bees voiding inside.

 

[Chris B]

Thanks Murray. I'll have a look.

 

[beebreeder]

Chris
Historically this coutry is used to nucs not packages, have you demand or is this an experiment, perhaps a change is what is needed.

 

[Chris B]

Hi Kev,
Yes I sold about 30 this year, all locally. I've quit selling nucs for several reasons. It wasn't hard to persuade people to buy packages and it actually opened up sales to TBH people too. So I reckon I can push it to at least 50 next year, which is the level I've done with nucs before. I made a vid of me installing 6 packages which helped I think. As you say, maybe time for a change? It makes sense to me.

 

[beebreeder]

what size box do you use chris or have you stuck with mikes boxes at the moment

 

[Chris B]

I used the orange multiboxes and got people to return them, but that was a pain, hence the search for something else.

 

[Into the lions den]

Mark Evamy sells lots of them. Its a lot safer for disease transmission too. Was in SW England last week and there is a major problem with disease breakdown in the region in UK sourced nucs.

 

[Chris B]

That's one of the reasons I changed. Had a bit of EFB this year, although not in the nationals that would have been nucs.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

It makes perfect sense to me for several reasons (slightly) reduced cost to the customer and less work/ costs for the supplier in terms of materials and labour,one size fits all so no messing about with different sized frames etc making them accessible to everyone, and a quicker turn around for the supplier, i am surprised it is not been more popular in the uk before now !

 

[beebreeder]

I used the orange multiboxes and got people to return them, but that was a pain, hence the search for something else.

Chris I found this clip by accident on youtube the package boxes appear to be h/duty cardboard but i have no idea where they come from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ULmdWUJumQ&feature=related

 

[Into the lions den]

Chris I found this clip by accident on youtube the package boxes appear to be h/duty cardboard but i have no idea where they come from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ULmdWUJumQ&feature=related

I know this company well. these are supplied by Kintail Honey of New Zealand (James and MaryAnne Ward), and they are being introduced in Canada. (OK, I am pretty sure its Canada, but it might be northern USA, as the film itself may not actually be at the bee farm whose site the video is on.)

For an even more interesting version of package try the site of Arataki Honey, Rotorua Division. They ship in long tubes with NO food. Works a dream. They feed them heavily prior to shipping, chill them down to 5C, and with no new food they generate a lot less heat. Was the listed importer of one airline pallet of these (the minimum order) for distribution to several parties in 2010. One pallet btw is 704 tube packages.

The Kintail ones are also shipped far and wide, but do have occasional problems with overheating. Do not expect that would be an issue for Chris though, as he will not be sending them 12000 miles!

 

[Chris B]

That's interesting. I've had cardboard boxes made to my own spec. before and if you order enough it always works out less than £1 per box, even really heavy duty ones.
I couldn't quite make out what was going on in the can. There were bees in it. So it must have had a bottom entry so why did he need to open it at the top.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Chris the entrance to the can is through the small round holes in the sides, near the top of the can. Similar idea to the bottle feeder,which has syrup with a float/piece of sponge on top, held down by a stick, with the lid of the bottle screwed on to keep the stick from rising up....expect you have seen or used these though. I like the cardboard tubes they use.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I am Curious to find out what is the going rate in the uk for buying or selling packages ?

 

[Chris B]

Hard to say as not much available, but those I have seen are about £10 cheaper than an equivalent nucleus.

On the internet at least, there's a couple of outfits in Glos. offering them and one in London.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

With the reduced outlay in materials used, there should be a bit more in the way of profit available then, if only a small difference in sale price compared to traditional nuc`s, what Queens do you intend to use in yours next season chris ?

 

[Chris B]

Not 100% sure. I'll have 60 mating nucs on the go but I'll probably order some in to be sure. Norton (Roger) is a good option for early queens.
Trouble with buying queens for this sort of thing is matching up dates. Might be best to hedge my bets a bit. I can always use extra queens myself.