Hive with colony wanted

[PlanB]

Looking for an occupied hive to buy. Ideally near leicester. I know its the wrong time of year , but happy to feed through the winter, to be ready for next year. Please PM with any offers...

 

[VEG]

not being funny but it really is the wrong time of year. I wouldnt buy this late save your money and get one start of next season as you will not be worrying over the winter. Let someone else worry bout it. You wont get much enjoyment from the bees at this time of year as "they should" be settling down for winter and not much to do.

 

[PlanB]

Hi VEG, I figured since they are settling down now, they'd be easy to move. If I set them in the garden then it'll be relatively easy to feed them through the winter etc. Then I can move them to a good site as soon as spring kicks in... If this a crazy idea, then please say... What will be the major downsides of starting now?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Even crazier to move them twice for no need. They require very little attention over the winter.

There really is no point buying now - you may end up with a colony that wont survive the winter and you'll have wasted your cash for nowt. Better to let someone who knows what they are doing do the winter shift and get them started early spring before you get them

 

[VEG]

The downside is they could die during the winter and you wont have any bees, then have to buy more in the spring so it could end up costing you twice as much. I know you are probably excited to get bees but they will do better in the spring. Winter feeding is no fun.

 

[Poly Hive]

One of the first and most important skills you will be forced to learn as a beekeeper is patience.

You are getting sound advice here. Wait. why spend several hundred pounds buying a full colony which may die on you leaving you out of pocket and unhappy.

For a beginner it is far better to buy a nuc in Spring and your capabilities will increase in line with the bees gaining strength.

A full colony can be very intimidating for a beginner.

Wait for Spring, tis only three months after all... Ish..lol

PH

 

[Vergilius]

If Poly Hive weren't so polite he would post a link to this lol:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=14706

Really is the wrong time to buy bees; taking a hive through winter is frankly boring, and if you haven't monitored the colony through summer it could be difficult.

Starting with a nuc in spring is the perfect intro for a newbee. If you acquire from a good supplier, then you are guaranteed a good start, and having a smaller colony allows you to "ease into it". Furthermore, by the end of the summer, you should have a good strong colony, with a bit of honey to extract.

The fact that you say you can "feed all winter" suggests you are not ready. How many books have you read? Have you been to any classes? If you got the full colony, would you bee prepared for swarming in April? Handling in excess of 40,000 bees? OSR extraction?

A big colony can be very, very daunting for a newbee.

Control your excitement , and do what's best for the bees: join your local assoc., wait till spring and then buy a well-sourced nuc.


Ben P

 

[Chris B]

Check out the 2012 nucs for sale. You never know, there might be something nearby.
Get your order in and I'm sure your supplier will give sound advice on buying kit too. You can keep your enthusiasm satisfied by assembling boxes and frames over the next few months.

 

[BeeJayBee]

We're managing to control our impatience by reading a lot, looking forward to a course that runs from Feb to March, as well as looking at and beginning to buy equipment ready for start up in March or April, depending on the weather.

Getting a nucleus at this time of year would risk 100% losses, and no real gains in terms of either experience or yummy honey.

 

[Moggs]

Well there you go Plan B - 'Plan B'! You might as well get your hive assembled and look at that. It will be very similar to that of an occupied hive at this time of year.

Anyway, though they may be clustered and snug, the bees still wouldn't thank you for the enforced move. Wait until they're vigorous and ready for action!