Maisemore seconds sale

[Queens59]

Can't comment on quality of there product yet, after spending £1500+ with them on the 04/10, they still have not arrived!!!!

I ordered on the 1st and it arrived on Friday...

 

[oliver90owner]

nonstandard,

Read thread #15.

RAB

 

[psafloyd]

As Admin says.

I got my Langstroth stuff from Modern Beekeeping aka Rooftops on forum. The National came indirectly from Highland Bees Supplies

The National has had a bit more use for swarm collecting than the Langstroths but now houses a colony. I am overwintering two colonies this winter and hope both are OK to do a full year next year. So by this time next year I will have my mind made up based on MY experience with MY bees.

I (we) had planned to have four colonies by this time of the year, and yes, it went a bit wrong as we are going into the winter with twelve. Financially, the seconds route is the only option for us. I would dearly love to have all my hives made by Tom Bick, we have some of his stuff, including a custom national and they are excellent, but again finances dictate.

However, when you start comparing the prices of Poly vs Seconds or to put it another way, First Quality Poly (there are no seconds) vs Second Quality Cedar, Poly wins out.

I.E. Maisemore Sale National = £84.00 excl QE.
Poly Lang (4012) = £84.00 c/w QE

The poly hives are available 365 days of the year. You have to wait until the sales to get anywhere near the price with Thornes or Maisemores where some of the equipment will be firewood. No good mid summer when you open the hives in an out apiary and go "Oh crap, I need to spend money NOW!"

This all said, I have bought some equipment last week and I will buy more before the end of the year. Then, Hopefully, I will cease buying seconds from then on (That is the dream, but it may be ).

Sorry for the long post, but I have just been signed off work for a few weeks, so expect long rants whilst I have the time on my hands

Is there a thread anywhere on the pros and cons of poly on the site? I'd be interested to read it.

 

[nonstandard]

Poly hives v wood

Thanks oliver90owner

I must have missed that somehow, although according to their website the Modern Beekeeping ones are not available yet, the rest of their poly hives look like quality items.

I did find some 14 x 12s at Bee Hive Supplies and nationals at Highland Bee Supplies I would be interested to know about their build quality and potential longevity. Do they have the hard plastic edges and runners that the Modern Beekeeping ones have?

My other concern as a newbie is going against the flow, if I needed to borrow something for a wooden hive or pick up a super I could do that within a couple of hours, I don't know of anyone else with poly hives in my area I would have to order any bits and await delivery.

Having said all that I have managed to tread my own path this year by using two smiths hives (£30 off ebay) that I have converted to 14 x 12. The thing is I can quickly knock up a brood box or super in wood if required, with poly it's different.

 

[oliver90owner]

nonstandard,

If I read the MBS home page and/or newsletter correctly, the proposed poly broods are compatible with standard National wood boxes with the exception of frame numbers and bee space.

I am already 'top bee space' so they will hopefully fit my particular circumstance perfectly; the majority would need to either re-think their bee space or make appropriate adjustments. Any combination may well fit, apart from these two details.

Time will tell, but the main thing for me is the jumbo format - I don't need anything other than the brood box for over-wintering and the summer season is made simple - wood or poly supers. Cheapness or lightness of supers might be the main considered factors in my case.

Regards, RAB

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

My order finally arrived and after taking a good look at the items and putting one of them together, I would say they are as good as Thornes seconds, if not better. I shall be ordering more...

 

[Poly Hive]

Cannot comment on this supplier as I buy from Swienty.

Their National Poly takes 11 frames British National. No compatibility issues that I am aware of.

When I can find some time I will write up a piece on the differences between Poly and wood. FYI, Denmark and Germany, the two that I know of, have pretty much gone over to poly.

Poly is not new, far from it, it has been available in the UK from 1985 at least, and was in use in Germany years before that.

PH