Is there still a shortage of bees this year?

[user 6228]

Is demand for new colonies still outstripping supply or has it bounced back?

 

[pargyle]

Is demand for new colonies still outstripping supply or has it bounced back?

Fragile Planet £190 + £32 carriage for 5 fram nuc.
P****s £195 + £45 carriage for 6 frame nuc.

Sounds to me like there is still a demand ... these are top end prices but they are an indication.

I think people may be put off beekeeping by the cost of bees and the potential for losing them over the winter. A few years ago a good Nuc would have only cost a fraction of this but supply and demand for the last two or three years has really driven the market.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I know of one beekeeper whose two hives are queenless. They say they've been looking for affordable mated queens (not from Argentina) for some time, without any luck. (I do know they didn't contact the seller I suggested, who had some Danish queens, so don't know how 'desperate' they really are...) Local internet-based suppliers of nucs or full colonies sold out some time ago.

 

[beebreeder]

Joy it depends how long they have been q/less, they may be heading to laying workers and that will start a new problem, even if they do get a couple of queens

 

[For want of a better word]

Is demand for new colonies still outstripping supply or has it bounced back?

Two "swarms" that have moved into bait hives are dismally small and would not even fill 2 frames of a nuc...... not that I would attempt to sell swarms on as some do!
Many beekeepers around here are reporting total loss of colonies, perhaps stocks will be back to where they were next year if this Summer is half decent and next winter not too long and damp!
I don't sell bees, yet I have had a number of requests !

As far as I can see demand is outstripping supply and those do have bees for sale ( imported or home grown) will be asking top dollar for them!

 

[For want of a better word]

I know of one beekeeper whose two hives are queenless. They say they've been looking for affordable mated queens (not from Argentina) for some time, without any luck. (I do know they didn't contact the seller I suggested, who had some Danish queens, so don't know how 'desperate' they really are...) Local internet-based suppliers of nucs or full colonies sold out some time ago.

Why do they not beg a frame of BIAS ( that's eggs+ little new larvae+ bigger larvae+ capped baby bees) from a fellow beek and see if they can bring on a queen ( even if a local mongrel) for themselves..... at least 2 more colonies would have the chance of survival for requeening with the chosen variety next year... or when comes up for grabbs?

 

[Stiffy]

At a market today someone asked me to reserve a nuc for him for next year after I told him that I doubt if I will have any to sell this year.
I would say supply will not meet demand and can only see prices going higher.
S

 

[user 6228]

We have a problem here in that we now have too many colonies if they get successfully mated, but we would have personal difficulty in selling them to anybody who was going to put them into a wooden hive this winter.
Do you think we could realistically place the condition of "only to a good (very well insulated) home".

 

[Swarm]

We have a problem here in that we now have too many colonies if they get successfully mated, but we would have personal difficulty in selling them to anybody who was going to put them into a wooden hive this winter.
Do you think we could realistically place the condition of "only to a good (very well insulated) home".

No, that's a very unrealistic demand.

 

[user 6228]

No, that's a very unrealistic demand.

even if offered at the cost of the frames?

 

[madasafish]

I have OS orders for TBH nucs I will be unable to meet before it's too late for a beginner to successfully carry them over winter.

An awful lot of first time beekeepers lost all hives over the last winter..

 

[Alf20]

I may be one of he lucky few. One hive full and getting ready to swarm, split it into a nuc.
Two others are building up nicely after a bit of frame swapping. The new queens are laying a treat.

 

[Swarm]

You could invite the recipient to take a look at the way you keep your bees and explain the insulation factor, they may be very interested. I think that's about your best hope tbh.

 

[user 6228]

You could invite the recipient to take a look at the way you keep your bees and explain the insulation factor, they may be very interested. I think that's about your best hope tbh.

Thinking about it I would sell them in a good quality poly hive to a beginner as a complete kit. They have to provide the tin of emulsion for us to paint the hive before we put the bees in. A hive with bees for a few quid more than the price of the hive.
if the market is outstripping supply it shouldnt put professionals noses out of joint

 

[For want of a better word]

AND if VAT registered and the container is worth substantially less than the cost of the bees you would be able to sell the new pollyhive VAT free!

That it seems is as much as HM Government is doing to help us beekeeperers!

 

[BeeJayBee]

depends how long they have been q/less, they may be heading to laying workers and that will start a new problem, even if they do get a couple of queens

Why do they not beg a frame of BIAS ( that's eggs+ little new larvae+ bigger larvae+ capped baby bees) from a fellow beek and see if they can bring on a queen ( even if a local mongrel) for themselves..... at least 2 more colonies would have the chance of survival for requeening with the chosen variety next year... or when comes up for grabbs?

They've been keeping bees for much, much, longer than I have. I've offered them a frame of mixed brood, which would need adjusting to fit their smaller hive. They've declined. Can't do any more really.

 

[pargyle]

even if offered at the cost of the frames?

That's an offer I would bite your hand off for ... but as my very well insulated hive is now occupied and the next even more well insulated but much lighter hive is still in the planning stage the best I could offer them is a double skinned timber nuc with a heavily insulated roof.

I've got room for a second hive in the garden and time later in the summer for the construction phase so if you really need to lose a colony to a good home then I'm available !

I think it's a reasonable request ... Responsible breeders sell dogs on the basis that they are going to a suitable home ... can't see the difference ?

 

[Polyanwood]

You exaggerate the benefits of poly here. People who keep bees in wood do so successfully. I like poly. I like wood. I overwintered over 25 colonies, mostly in wood, indeed some of them in ply nucs with kingspan or polystyrene on the roof.

I lost only one colony due to drone laying queen, so those wooden boxes did not kill the bees.

 

[madasafish]

Ah but Poly you live in London. Soft mild winters.. No 5 foot snowdrifts and digging hives out of drifts.

There is a difference - very marked in microclimate between cities and countryside and North an South....

(Anecdotally in the past, the decriers of the need for insulation were in a line south of Birmingham - roughly)

 

[Polyanwood]

True. But Hampshire is not exactly the frozen north.

I will not sell or give away bees to people with no training and would prefer that the recipient treats for varroa, because I don't want the bees to die, but other than that, different strokes.