flee bay kit

[cat weazle]

sounds too good to be true so i would appreciate any advice/warnings you have

i know the castellations are not the best and some of the plastic is probably made of cheese but over all is it a good starting point?

link

many thanks CW

 

[Poly Hive]

I would have thought not....

Best thing to do is to DL the Thornes price list and cross check. A bit tedious but...

Buyer Beware!


PH

 

[Friar Tuck]

The listing is from thornes ebay store so is legit. many retailers have ebay shops selling buy it now

 

[greywolf]

The last time I checked by the time the VAT and postage is added Thorne’s direct prices are the same as their ebay shop.

I was thinking of buying just the hive and had a chat with Thorne’s. It seems to be good value.

The only reason I didn't get one was because I wanted an apex roof and unlike with their first quality hives you can't substitute parts and pay the difference you can only add to the order.
I ended up buying a first quality hive and specifying the bits I wanted.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Its is exactly the same as their bees on budget kit "the kit plus" , The seller is Thornes!

Buy direct from them for only £295

 

[VEG]

Their e-bay prices are slightly higher than buying direct. I have bought one of their bees on budget hives and will get more if from them if needed.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Their e-bay prices are slightly higher than buying direct. I have bought one of their bees on budget hives and will get more if from them if needed.

yes they add a bit on ebay buy it now price to cover paypal fees and fleabay fees

it is cheeper from them direct on line from the £hornes web site and you are more protected if you buy direct with a credit card

 

[Rosti]

Putting the ebay question apart, I dont think this is a good move.

Earlier in this thread you were asking the about alternative hive designs, you may or may not have identified a 'national' as a good starting point and right for you, but what about all the other gear?

If you are going for a national then the Th0rne5 (lets see if that beats the advert filter ) budget national kit is as agood as any (IMO) and obviously disease free (worth money over s/h options in my book) and building it provides a useful insight as well.

As for the rest of the stuff in the kit, you have time. Invest some of it in comparing options and learn more about the hobby you are committing to in the process. There are deals out there and for the circa £300 that you are considering you can def set yourself up (and some to spare), but also recognise that you'll want a second hive at least to give you a sustainable hobby come winter (11/12) so there is more cash to go out yet.

I don't reckon this one stop shop is in your best financial or best knowledge interests. R

 

[cat weazle]

thanks,

im just looking at whats around atm before i make any comitment. im leaning towards the national as some of the twin walled hives look to be a pain in the backside.

anyway i wont be commiting to any open wallet surgery till feb/march

many thanks CW

editied to add: as for multiple hives, me and my mate are thinking about 1 each to start with and then maybe building some more hives (another plus for the national, it seams simple to build) for if/when one splits

thanks CW

 

[Rosti]

CW I think thats good, effectively you have 2 hives each, between you you have the ability to share/switch frames etc and provide that recovery ability from a problem / loss. You can also learn and support each other as you go, thats a significant plus as well. R

 

[oliver90owner]

For the uninitated, the Th*rne seconds on epay have, thankfully, done away with the practice of some punters buying quantities of complete 'seconds' hives in the winter sale and marketing them on epay at extortionate increase after assembly!

Complete second quality hives are no longer offered in the winter sale, now.

CW,

As for double walled hives, a layer of expanded polystyrene is an easy alternative - likely more expensive over the life of the hive, but an alternative.

14 x 12s are more difficult for the new starter than the 'normal' deep brood BS, but a lot soon change to the jumbo format when they find that a single deep brood box is insufficient for most modern bee strains, after they are forced into the realms of a brood and a half, or double broods. A simple eke can be used for conversion, but new frames are the cheaper alternative (in the long run) compared to the 'convertors' some offer.

The first year is usually no problem (unless starting really early with a strong nuc), but the second year (when they think they know how to keep bees) goes seriously awry, when either having to contend with bees that swarm (due to space restrictions) or having to resort to using 22 frames for the brood nest.

All good fun and a steep learning curve at times. The internet is great, but only if the advice is absorbed and acted on. No real need for new beeks trying to re-invent the wheel!

No internet fora when I started, mostly old beeks still using single brood (or brood and a half, which they reluctantly told you about after the swarming problem arose)! So BTDT.

Regards, RAB