Suggest most earnestly that you look at a full Abelo poly set-up before sending that order.
False economy: it may work for a warm-weather emergency but it has zero thermal efficiency, summer or winter. Floor loses much less, though DerekM gave the figures to show that it's not insignificant.
Consider an Abelo
Ashforth poly feeder (working all year as a CB) +
4BBs +
deep poly roof which = £226.50 per hive. Bear in mind that the thermal efficiency of poly results in about 15% more honey (research by Murray McGregor) and if you price and sell your honey well, one super of 11.5kg should return £250+, so including frames & foundation, you'll be ahead in your first season.
BBs all the way work well, and I've managed colonies like that for several years. If you run without QXs not only will you save £20 but swarming will be
much reduced. You will need at least four BBs per colony, five or six would be better to enable splits and take a box off to extract.
Find the cash to make split boards, at least two per colony, because vertical splitting is by far the most economical method to do the job and is more thermally efficient. Buy poly nucs to house the splits later on, when you unite the split stack to one queen at the start of the main flow. By all means make 3-frame ply nuc boxes for splits, but a split board is cheaper and polynucs are best for winter.
You may be lucky but that is a hit-and-miss method for honey production: really, an out-apiary is needed to a park swarms to check for brood disease and temper and so on, and if those turn out bad then work will follow. Perhaps use your current home apiary as an out-apiary?
Splits from known stock is a far better option. Roger Patterson has written straightforward recipes for
making increase; digest also the
9 other methods he describes on Dave Cushman's A-Z. You've found BMH videos, but also check out Norfolk Honey Company on YT.
Fair point, and I was given advice years ago (Dan Basterfield, Honey Show workshop) to expand slowly and match experience to numbers. If you follow that plan the chances of losing the plot reduce (though you will, at some point).
You must work out a location in that 3.5 acres to give you access by vehicle, and one that will get light kit there and heavier boxes back without getting stuck. Access to the site should be yours alone, so check that hives are not visible from any angle (even at distance) and have them in the lee of a hedge or copse, to hide and give wind protection.
Drive on and off site without wearing your beesuit because a passing Transit may clock you and return at night. Security of access is a given.
Pallets give a good base for four colonies; blue pallets are strongest; space each unit apart by at least 3 metres, so you can drive between if necessary. Stack two pallets to give working height. If you can get plastic pallets, put one down first and a wood on top: plastic doesn't rot but it is slidey.
Where will you store the mounting pile of kit? Are there out-buildings on the 3.5 acres? Stack your kit undercover and sealed against vermin. Have a workplace to make, clean and repair: water & electricity will be needed.
Buy and read several times Donald Sims'
60 Years with Bees;
here's a copy for £12. This and ROB Manley's
Honey Farming are still the two best practical books that will change your perspective and upgrade you from twiddling with two colonies to juggling a few and more. Accept that kit and varroa has changed the landscape since they were written (beautifully) and adapt what you find.
Remind yourself every so often that you know next to nothing (but that bees will teach you everything), that the learning curve for the next five years is steep, and above all, to enjoy the job.
Admittedly I'm past the first flush of youth (82) but I can no longer lift a super full of honey to the top of the stack above shoulder height (eg when placing a clearer board and lifting the super off then back on). A BB full of honey would be impossible. There must be many on here (must avoid sexism
