Looking for input on a product I've seen recently, I'm also a 100% novice with 0 experience.

[madasafish]

If you really want to start beekeeping with minimal outlay , you can either build a conventional hive from pallets ?: see BRITISH NATIONAL HIVE 1

or build a top bar hive - ditto from pallet wood
see : top bar hive plans

I have done both: started with topbar hives then went to conventional hives.
Top bar beekeeping can be fun - but very little honey

 

[pargyle]

halfway to being a beekeeper already

Mandatory requirement for all beekeepers along with a fair dose of masochism ! (And perhaps a sense of humour because sometimes all you can do is laugh ...)

 

[rossbyjove]

I'll apologise in advance but I ramble a little when asking questions and I also apologise if sharing a product links is not allowed, I promise it's not me advertising, just seeking advice regarding it and I'm happy to remove the link if asked.

Preamble:
I've recently been considering beekeeping but the closest I've come to doing so in my life so far is planting bee friendly flowers in my garden. I've looked into handful of things regarding the process of beekeeping and have knowledge regarding the pests and plights bees can face. I do intend on spending my free time over the next month researching all that beekeeping entails before I actually try my hand at it but before that I'll need some advice.

Question:
I found this product ~ www.amazon.co.uk/Mayyou-Bee-Hive-Beehive-House/dp/B07WDBDDZS
and was wondering if anyone can give me some input. As a (not yet but possibly soon) first time beekeeper I'm looking for someone or manyones to look the product and tell me from an experienced point of view if it's worth my money.

I have no experience in keeping bees, so I haven't yet made a mistake to learn from and thus I can only hope to learn from mistakes you may have made, before I go and start making some of my own.
I'm pretty rough on cash at the moment (aren't we all) and can't really afford too far from that price range unfortunately, though I do have moderate joinery/carpentry skills and the knowledge not to use pallet wood as it can contain harmful toxins. I could potentially build my own but that's a whole other discussion, sorry I do ramble often.

Basically is it any good or any bad and why?

Sorry again for the rambly nature of my post and I look forward to you input.

 

[rossbyjove]

I am a 'new bee' myself but I would not touch that with a barge pole.
Looks like the Fisher price toy beehive for an 8 year old.
If you are serious about beekeeping I would advise you do a course.
Must be a club near you somewhere.
I'm in the middle of a course at the moment, there is a lot to learn but it is fascinating.
This Wednesday we go to the apiary, so it's suits on, can't wait!
Good luck.

 

[user 819]

With diy built hives if on a conventional vertical hive one will need to under stand bee space and the affect of brace/burr comb.
Extraction of honey needs considering and storage area for parts, it's not as simple as just buying a hive.
And as already mentioned the small poly hive is a mating hive to raise new queens and not a permanent home for when a colony expands exponentially.

 

[rossbyjove]

I'll apologise in advance but I ramble a little when asking questions and I also apologise if sharing a product links is not allowed, I promise it's not me advertising, just seeking advice regarding it and I'm happy to remove the link if asked.

Preamble:
I've recently been considering beekeeping but the closest I've come to doing so in my life so far is planting bee friendly flowers in my garden. I've looked into handful of things regarding the process of beekeeping and have knowledge regarding the pests and plights bees can face. I do intend on spending my free time over the next month researching all that beekeeping entails before I actually try my hand at it but before that I'll need some advice.

Question:
I found this product ~ www.amazon.co.uk/Mayyou-Bee-Hive-Beehive-House/dp/B07WDBDDZS
and was wondering if anyone can give me some input. As a (not yet but possibly soon) first time beekeeper I'm looking for someone or manyones to look the product and tell me from an experienced point of view if it's worth my money.

I have no experience in keeping bees, so I haven't yet made a mistake to learn from and thus I can only hope to learn from mistakes you may have made, before I go and start making some of my own.
I'm pretty rough on cash at the moment (aren't we all) and can't really afford too far from that price range unfortunately, though I do have moderate joinery/carpentry skills and the knowledge not to use pallet wood as it can contain harmful toxins. I could potentially build my own but that's a whole other discussion, sorry I do ramble often.

Basically is it any good or any bad and why?

Sorry again for the rambly nature of my post and I look forward to you input.

It's not a 'beehive' as such.
I think it is a queen rearing box.
The advert is misleading.
I started bee keeping this year, free swarm but the hive, suit etc.....about 250 pounds.
If you are serious join a club, do a course.

 

[JohnLewis]

Completely understandable point made regarding the costs in your edit, and it's not brutal, it's valuable and honest criticism, from which I can learn. The welfare of the bees is my priority and if beekeeping is out of my budget I wouldn't go ahead with it at a cost of the bees.

I potentially have the skills to build something if you think that might be a path worth exploring on a budget?
If so I can look into the costs of bee friendly wood and find some plan/blueprints. My current budget is up to £60 but having no experience I just went to amazon typed apiary and thought I'd ask here about something as cheap as that. Thanks again for the input, I may (if self building isn't a good option) wait a year and save some cash to get a better budget together.

I built a national brood and 2 supers using plans from David Cushman site well worth a look full of useful information as well .

 

[rossbyjove]

I built a national brood and 2 supers using plans from David Cushman site well worth a look full of useful information as well .

Dave Cushmans website is a fantastic 'hive' of information.
Built some hive stands after my first visit.
Will be ordering some red cedar planks soon and build some hives over the winter.

 

[enrico]

,,

 

[madasafish]

I think you will be horrified by how much it would cost to make a beehive, with the current cost of decent wood. This thread is worth a read:

Home made hives. | Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum (beekeepingforum.co.uk)

You can make hives very cheaply from wood even at today's prices.

See http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com/page01.htm for plans
I have made pallet nucleus hives from the plans : you will need a full size hive.
My woodworking skills are limited with limited tools. It can be done.
From an exiled (mean) Scot

 

[Beesnaturally]

I was given a very old hive, a moth-eaten suit and smoker, told where to buy frames and foundation (and be shown how to assemble them) and told to ring the police and council and tell them I wanted to collect a swarm. (My first swarm was collected from the ridge of the local rectory roof! )

I took it from there, budget all the way till I needed a good extractor.

 

[bobba]

Sorry, I like to ramble too!

If you are starting out i would recommend just going for national hives. they are most commonly used.
as others have said it i possible to make cheap hives. But only if you already have the tools.

I made hives when I stated out using ply and timber from Wickes. I already had a good table saw and other tools. Unfortunately I am currently tacking a break from keeping and sold some kit erlyrt in the year. And one thing I have learnt is as follows:

The boxes I made myself cost about £6 each to make - but i cannot give them away now.
The boxes I bought in the winter sales cost £12-20 each (flat) - but I have been able to sell them for about that same price assembled/used.

So it turns out the ones I bought were more cost effective in the end.

The great thing about being able to make kit, is with a bit of ply and timber in stock I could potentially construct whatever I need when i need it (obviously that wont work if you have a big operation). Where as if you keep stock of new stuff you will need more £s worth of kit on standby. I hope that makes sense.

So I would recommend national hives, get your kit in the winter sales. If you quit, you will be able to get a good chunk of your money back.

The cost of extraction kit is something that is not to be over looked, others have advised you join an association, they will give you access to extraction kit, although it may not be available when you need it and there is usually a small fee.

One thing that caught me off guard when keeping, was how much space all the kit consumes. It relay takes a lot more space than you think.

And keeping a single hive is not relay practical unless you know another keeper to support you. To increase your chance of getting a reasonable amount of honey each year you will want a minimum of 3-4 hives. It relay helps to be able to see a few hives and compare how they are doing. And should you have queen problems with a hive, it helps to have another.

I started out with a very similar mentality as you, was interested in keeping, but worried about the costs. The costs really got out of control in year 2.

Just to give you a rough idea, 3 years of keeping cost me about £1600, I had 4 active hives and a couple more stored flat. And I seriously cut every corner I could on cost. Like many other hobbies most the cost is getting set up. You relay should have some ammo in the bank before you start. As other have pointed out they are animals that must be properly cared for, so you must ensure you have the resources to do so.

Keeping bees for 3 years was one of my best crazy ventures to date. As soon as my boys are old enough I hope to get some more hives and get them involved. So I highly recommend giving it a go.

 

[pargyle]

I started my beekeeping journey on a very tight budget and built my own hive ... I started out building a top bar hive (or two actually) but realised the limitations of top bar beekeeping and tore them apart and made my Long Deep Hive which got me started .... and I still have it and it's still in occasional use.

All reclaimed timber apart from some CLS for the legs. Pallet wood exterior, reclaimed victorian floorboards on the interior and a polystyrene core between the inner and outer layers. Few other bits of timber I scrounged, some screws I had in stock, bit of roofing felt a neighbour had left over from a shed re-roof. I even made my own 14 x 12 frames - I begged a 14 x 12 frame to get the size right - learned about bee space and made the hive to the dimensions of the frame. Only other cost was some mesh for the open mesh floor. Total cost ... less than £20 in total and some (many) hours working out how it would be built and even more building it. Frames are (and always have been) foundationless so no cost for foundation.

Everything was geared to a zero cost option wherever possible.

So... it is possible .. add a smoker, hive tool and bee suit ... get creative with the sales and you could be up and running for less than £120 if you are lucky, handy and creative.

It doesn't get you very far into beekeeping but there's a lot to be said for a Long Deep Hive as a starter ... I had lots of help from people on here and I spent a lot of time reading and researching before I got my bees ...so, get cracking ... build your hive over winter - join an association and you are ready for spring with a bit of reading and this forum behind you.

Here's my scrapwood hive .... to give you some inspiration and ideas ...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

 

[Lolly Bee]

If you can find a mentor in your area via your local BKA that might be a helpful learning curve for year one - I did that for my first year and it was incredibly helpful. Plus being a member of your local BKA allows you to look for items that people are selling off (which will be cheaper than buying new). There will be an instant debate here on cleanliness, but that is a whole other debate.

 

[pargyle]

If you can find a mentor in your area via your local BKA that might be a helpful learning curve for year one - I did that for my first year and it was incredibly helpful. Plus being a member of your local BKA allows you to look for items that people are selling off (which will be cheaper than buying new). There will be an instant debate here on cleanliness, but that is a whole other debate.

It's great advice but the OP hasn't been seen since July 2022 ....