National hives from China

[wightbees]

Italian hives way too heavy to lug about in hand luggage - even flat packed the 25mm pine throughout means a lot heavier than cedar.

Perhaps ICHI should consider ordering some flat packed dadants though - €40 euro and just shipping to worry about.

Where do you get these dadant from ?

 

[drstitson]

Here for example - http://www.casagrandecuppoloni.it/pdf/OFFERTA_APICOLTURA_SETTEMBRE_2011.pdf

kit with assembled roof and high sided crownboard.

€35 each plus IVA (now 21%) if you order 10.

BUT remember these are Dadant Blatts NOT MD - marginally shorter front to back (with frames similarly a bit smaller).

€32 each +IVA if you order 10 without the porch.

 

[Ely]

Sorry. Guess it looks a little ignorant and vague. I just meant is prefer to support our own businesses even if there maybe cheaper foreign alternatives available. Especially in these times.

 

[thurrock bees]

Forget foreign crap. Not just in beekeeping but in everything. Support Britain and British companies its about time Britain started being more loyal to itself

200 %

 

[small_newworld]

Staying on topic with the chinese hives. There are a few companies on ebay selling them! Be advised- i bought one out of curiosity at a low price. The queen excluder was really unuseable, the floor needed replacement to make it a actual OMF, the entrance was in the bottom of the brood box on one side and ventilation was needed in the roof.

By the time I spent on getting it up to scratch it probably cost as much as one from a well know thorny sounding supplier in this country. When I complained to the ebayer they were willing to give me a refund to the amount that I had to spend to modify and were apparently unaware of any potential problems- not beekeeper i would say! But at least they compensated me for my trouble and their mistake.

Lesson learnt; I will just keep building my own in the future- cheaper, I get what I need and more environmentally friendly in terms of shipping etc.

 

[Dishmop]

its the carrier who is putting the surcharge on you, not the UK customs

You will find its usually the carrier who decides whether or not to submit a parcel to the customs to decide how much if any duty is to be paid.. You also have to pay the carrier a charge for their kindness in grassing you up to the customs. Most problems seem to be from stuff coming in from the USA and the company with the big brown vans like to give stuff to customs and add charges.

Small stuff coming in from China doesnt usually attract much attention because theres so much of it... If you buy something off ebay for .99p and the p&P was 2.99p, then C&E dont seem to bother.

I ship stuff all over the world and so far have only had one parcel stopped.

 

[drstitson]

"If you buy something off ebay for .99p and the p&P was 2.99p, then C&E dont seem to bother."

Why would they need to bother when, at £3.97, the item falls within the £15 exempt category?

 

[sugarbush]

My concern would be with what they are recycling the wood out of? If they are using old shipping crates to build these they may be treated with pesticides.

Chinese are great at taking garbage and making crap out of it.

 

[drstitson]

Which country pumps Government subsidised corn oil and corn syrup into all their cheap foodstuffs (<0.1 cent per calorie retail)?

 

[Into the lions den]

You must be very wary when considering buying hive from China. YOU HAVE to be working to a watertight spec right down to the dryness of the seasoned timber. People have bought these in in significant numbers, and the end reslult was basically described to me as, 'after a season there were no two alike' and some had shrunk so much you could no longer get UK frames to fit in the box, they were too long and too deep.

Much of this material has since been sold off in job lots to the smaller beekeeper sector and to amateurs............buyer beware.


To ely..........
I can buy good quality Langstroth wooden deeps from the USA at 6.49, and have them here in four weeks............or I can order them from leading UK makers and pay 26.00 each for them at the same quality, and be offered 18months lead time.................your choice?

UK frames weakly made, horribly expensive, still need making up, and the larger makers really dont care about orders from the likes of me (as I am resistant to over priced goods), so was told last time I wanted a large frame order that they would be 1.14 each, delivery 9 months, still in the flat and they would not do my own modified design. From Lithuania in the flat 44p, 100% perfects, 6 weeks delivery, my own design and spec. From Romania, delivered made up (nailed AND glued) eyeleted and wired, only the foundation to fit, 69p. Like I say, your choice.

The makers do not really want my orders, at least not at anything like a competitive price and quality spec. These days the only UK thing I buy is wax conversion, where transport rules out sending it abroad. If buying foundation outright I buy from abroad too. Super quality and sharp price. Last load came in from Ecroyds in New Zealand.

 

[BBG]

You must be very wary when considering buying hive from China. YOU HAVE to be working to a watertight spec right down to the dryness of the seasoned timber. People have bought these in in significant numbers, and the end reslult was basically described to me as, 'after a season there were no two alike' and some had shrunk so much you could no longer get UK frames to fit in the box, they were too long and too deep.

Much of this material has since been sold off in job lots to the smaller beekeeper sector and to amateurs............buyer beware.


To ely..........
I can buy good quality Langstroth wooden deeps from the USA at 6.49, and have them here in four weeks............or I can order them from leading UK makers and pay 26.00 each for them at the same quality, and be offered 18months lead time.................your choice?

UK frames weakly made, horribly expensive, still need making up, and the larger makers really dont care about orders from the likes of me (as I am resistant to over priced goods), so was told last time I wanted a large frame order that they would be 1.14 each, delivery 9 months, still in the flat and they would not do my own modified design. From Lithuania in the flat 44p, 100% perfects, 6 weeks delivery, my own design and spec. From Romania, delivered made up (nailed AND glued) eyeleted and wired, only the foundation to fit, 69p. Like I say, your choice.

The makers do not really want my orders, at least not at anything like a competitive price and quality spec. These days the only UK thing I buy is wax conversion, where transport rules out sending it abroad. If buying foundation outright I buy from abroad too. Super quality and sharp price. Last load came in from Ecroyds in New Zealand.

That's wonderful and I'm sure we're all very pleased you can come on here and shout about how your buying power gets you the bottom prices. This is very obvious and easily discoverable in any sphere of large scale commerce and we wish you good luck in continuing your father's business.

However this is a forum for amateur beekeepers, with a few hives or so, wanting advice on management of their colonies or a source of small scale bargains, when they're to be had; from each other and experienced beekeepers.

I assume you also have an offshore account to complete the package.

I have heard wax carries disease so assume the NZ stuff has the UK stamp of approval.

 

[BKF Admin]

However this is a forum for amateur beekeepers, with a few hives or so,

No it's not,its a forum for all beekeepers.
I enjoy reading about what the big boy's get up to and so do many others.

 

[Luminos]

No it's not,its a forum for all beekeepers.
I enjoy reading about what the big boy's get up to and so do many others.

 

[wightbees]

Into the lions den
I would buy some of them Lang deeps if you have too many.
Heres hoping
WB

 

[tonybloke]

That's wonderful and I'm sure we're all very pleased you can come on here and shout about how your buying power gets you the bottom prices. This is very obvious and easily discoverable in any sphere of large scale commerce and we wish you good luck in continuing your father's business.

However this is a forum for amateur beekeepers, with a few hives or so, wanting advice on management of their colonies or a source of small scale bargains, when they're to be had; from each other and experienced beekeepers.

I assume you also have an offshore account to complete the package.

I have heard wax carries disease so assume the NZ stuff has the UK stamp of approval.

erm, this forum is for all beekeepers, AFAIK

and please remember, kick the ball, not the player

 

[drstitson]

BBG - forum open to all persuasions.

BTW where are your polys from BTW?

 

[BBG]

No it's not,its a forum for all beekeepers.
I enjoy reading about what the big boy's get up to and so do many others.

I stand corrected in part.

I too enjoy reading the beekeeping experiences - that was not the point Hivemaker.

However, obvious price reductions to be had from large scale operations are boring, tediously obvious and not helpful unless disseminated into the where and how. Buying in less developed countries is an obvious way forward - living is cheaper there ........

Problem solving is more readable i.e. "if someone could make me 20,000 quality frames at such and such spec for £X - I would buy from them".

 

[BBG]

BBG - forum open to all persuasions.

BTW where are your polys from BTW?

Barnstaple, Devon, UK

 

[Hivemaker.]

I too enjoy reading the beekeeping experiences - that was not the point Hivemaker.

So what is the point?

 

[drstitson]

"where are your polys from BTW?"

"Barnstaple, Devon, UK"

Don't you mean Finland?

Dark kettles spring to mind!