Nuc Prices

[BeeGees]

What is this rip off, why are nuc prices spiraling out of control ? so much for the “try and get people into beekeeping” only if their prepared to pay 220 quid and 500+ on hives and suits.

 

[Ian123]

Are they a rip off and your prices are out some are pushing £300 and they sell out. So why do you consider them a rip off. Most off the main suppliers can set you up with a decent hive for £100.00. Why are you paying £500..Your the buyer check around and spend your money wisely. Suits vary in price a lot I prefer the better manufacturers like Sheriff and there about £160 but on eBay you can pay £40 what’s the issue have you had a slow day?

 

[DaveG23]

Does the price of nucs reflect what the market can cope with, or is it genuine costs? I guess it costs more if it involves a supplier buying them in from abroad, shipping etc. But when you consider how you can make your own nucs to overwinter it starts to look expensive to buy them.

Not having a go at any suppliers, just something I wondered about.

 

[Bear]

Supply and demand effects the price. David Beckham now keeps bees so some people will to be like him at any cost. Search wisely and you should find good priced nuc’s. Personally I wouldn’t buy a nuc at this time of the year. I do have two which have mated queens from this year but they will be hives next year and are my own stock / breed. Two hives I will unite with this years queens either end of this year or spring next. I’ll wait and see what happens to both hives and nuc’s. Ive been keeping bees for over 10 years now and I’ve bought a bit of equipment. If you look after it and had it a long time the amount you spend goes down as time goes up. The longer you keep bees technically the cheaper your equipment is. Example a honey extractor bought new for £200 and you stop beekeeping after 2 years, that’s cost you £100 a year. If you last 10 years that extractor has only cost you £20 a year. Think long term.

 

[Ian123]

It’s probably a combination of what people will pay, supply and demand and also a reflection of what times involved. Your time may be free the bloke in the association may pass off a swarm for a few quid but try producing 50 or hundreds.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Want to make money in beekeeping? Sell bees and equipment to new and novice beekeepers. The market rocketed in the last ten years and beginners courses are still booked fully each winter; many more don't bother with training, but buy bees as casually as you might buy carrots.

Private nuc prices here in 2009 were about £100; by 2011 it had crept up to £120 and by 2015 to £130-150, and on it goes. Retail is a different game and today £200 is at the bottom of the price range. Is that expensive? Hardly, when it takes skill and experience to produce overwintered nucs, nor when when compared to the crazy price of a pair of trainers, a Netflix standing order or someone's annual spend on National Lottery tickets.

There is argument to say that the last thing we need are more beekeepers and that what we should aim to do is make better beekeepers of the ones who stick it out, and to improve forage and habitat for not only honey bees but the other 250-odd species of bee in this country.

What did it cost you set up as a beekeeper, BeeGee?

 

[For want of a better word]

What is this rip off, why are nuc prices spiraling out of control ? so much for the “try and get people into beekeeping” only if their prepared to pay 220 quid and 500+ on hives and suits.

Compared to a syndicate ticket for our local carp fishery.... £220 is a snip!!

Chons da

 

[GuyNir]

Supply and demand. Simples.

 

[madasafish]

Join an Association, most have a swarm list, you'll get a swarm for nothing or peanuts..

Of course, If you are on your own, don't look for alternatives,then you may ££s more..

Same with most things in life..

(I write as someone educated in Aberdeen - a city which makes Yorkshire people appear spendthrift )

 

[DaveG23]

Talking a swarms our association had contact from a local pub, swarm had moved in to an old whiskey barrel in the beer garden. Made a nice nuc for one of our members. Sadly no whiskey though.

 

[Jacq]

When I started out I was surprised at the initial cost especially on top of the cost of the courses through local agricultural college, but it made me do my homework really well so I didn’t make a costly mistake. I was still committed after the theory and practical so went ahead and spent the money on bees and equipment. Reading this forum helped a lot but I still made LOADS of mistakes (didn’t post because it didn’t feel the posters were always very supportive or helpful but much better now). I bought a nuc because I thought I would avoid ‘bad bees’. This year I have had some swarms, one of which was really feisty and I requeened it quickly. I wouldn’t have enjoyed starting off with that.
I don’t think £250 is too bad if the bees are guaranteed to be of good stock and if problems, you can go back to seller for help.

 

[Niv]

Are you in your local association?

My association runs a beginners course - for free - and following that classroom training they offer a 'rent a hive'scheme. Basically you pay £10 and are given a nuc of bees to look after at the association apiary for the season - with a mentor, if you decide you want to stick with beekeeping you can pay a further £40 to take the bees you have been looking after (at this point you need to provide your own hive). So total cost membership to association for at least a year (includes insurance) ~£30 + £50 bees + cost of hive as the nuc is loaned to you. They buy hives in bulk and sell then at cost to new members.

Not saying they are perfect but I don't think you could get much better value than that. People that are trying to go it alone with zero knowledge and think looking after bees is like buying a puppy are in for a shock imo (not putting the OP in that bracket just a general point).

 

[Tim.S]

The price is the difference between an amateur looking for pin money and a professional looking to make a living. Simples.

It would be interesting to see just how many man hours are involved in the production of nucs - it must be difficult to come up with a figure because of all the prep work involved and how you would cost that. My production is very small scale and it isn't a great money spinner when you take into account all the indirect costs. Bigger scale production would help greatly in reducing costs as with any business.

How many beekeepers have got wealthy from bees I wonder?

 

[mike99]

Are you in your local association?

My association runs a beginners course - for free - and following that classroom training they offer a 'rent a hive'scheme. Basically you pay £10 and are given a nuc of bees to look after at the association apiary for the season - with a mentor, if you decide you want to stick with beekeeping you can pay a further £40 to take the bees you have been looking after (at this point you need to provide your own hive). So total cost membership to association for at least a year (includes insurance) ~£30 + £50 bees + cost of hive as the nuc is loaned to you. They buy hives in bulk and sell then at cost to new members.

Not saying they are perfect but I don't think you could get much better value than that. People that are trying to go it alone with zero knowledge and think looking after bees is like buying a puppy are in for a shock imo (not putting the OP in that bracket just a general point).

That is a brilliant approach! I am going to see if my association would take that on.

 

[sipa]

There are two ways to produce nucs for resale in quantity in the UK.
The easy way, or the hard way.

The easy way is to import packages in April/ early May split them and add imported queens. Grow them on for a few weeks then sell them out as nucs.
Not difficult or too costly.

We do it the hard way and produce several hundred each season using our own UK produced bees and UK mated queens.
Much more difficult to do, takes longer with a lot more risk as a producer.
Far more time and expense involved to produce nucs of high quality, with provenance.

The costs involved in running our Bee Business would make your eyes water !
People don't seem to mind paying lots of money for hardware but want bees on the cheap.... doesn't make any sense to me at all.

 

[Niv]

That is a brilliant approach! I am going to see if my association would take that on.

It is a good set up. What happens is we have some members donate hives of bees, they then get their hive back with new frames/comb. When I did it they then split the hive into two or three nucs for the newbies and let queens be produced in those nucs. I think that now we have a few members getting into queen rearing so they put a mated queen in the nucs so it all gets going a bit quicker.

The other bonus is if you lose your queen / colony you just get given another one so you will not be left beeless.

 

[Murox]

Are you in your local association?

My association runs a beginners course - for free - and following that classroom training they offer a 'rent a hive'scheme. Basically you pay £10 and are given a nuc of bees to look after at the association apiary for the season - with a mentor, if you decide you want to stick with beekeeping you can pay a further £40 to take the bees you have been looking after (at this point you need to provide your own hive). So total cost membership to association for at least a year (includes insurance) ~£30 + £50 bees + cost of hive as the nuc is loaned to you. They buy hives in bulk and sell then at cost to new members.

Not saying they are perfect but I don't think you could get much better value than that. People that are trying to go it alone with zero knowledge and think looking after bees is like buying a puppy are in for a shock imo (not putting the OP in that bracket just a general point).

Its certainly not like buying a puppy - that requires forethought, commitment and a lot more besides - most people I meet have not got a clue - maybe thats why so many animals end up in rescue centres and bees get abandoned.

 

[Niv]

Its certainly not like buying a puppy - that requires forethought, commitment and a lot more besides - most people I meet have not got a clue - maybe thats why so many animals end up in rescue centres and bees get abandoned.

Indeed, maybe I give the general population too much credit.

 

[joelsoo]

Are you in your local association?

My association runs a beginners course - for free - and following that classroom training they offer a 'rent a hive'scheme. Basically you pay £10 and are given a nuc of bees to look after at the association apiary for the season - with a mentor, if you decide you want to stick with beekeeping you can pay a further £40 to take the bees you have been looking after (at this point you need to provide your own hive). So total cost membership to association for at least a year (includes insurance) ~£30 + £50 bees + cost of hive as the nuc is loaned to you. They buy hives in bulk and sell then at cost to new members.

Not saying they are perfect but I don't think you could get much better value than that. People that are trying to go it alone with zero knowledge and think looking after bees is like buying a puppy are in for a shock imo (not putting the OP in that bracket just a general point).

i think your association's arrangement with the trail run nuc for £10 and subsequently £40 as such is brilliant, alot of ppl underestimate the amount of work that is involved in a new hobby so this gives them the "bail out" option if they can't commit after 1 season.

This gives me an idea for the allotment rep at my site, the same could be applied to taking on an allotment. i see ppl taking a plot, coming in for 2 weekends going gung ho clearing it, then dissappearing for the rest of a season leaving the plot full of weeds. i'd suggest something similar, new plotholders given tasks to assist existing plotholders, in return can share the grown crops for their contribution of their help. and if they survived and show they can commit themselves,then only awarded a plot at the next season.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

What is this rip off, why are nuc prices spiraling out of control ? so much for the “try and get people into beekeeping” only if their prepared to pay 220 quid and 500+ on hives and suits.

Who is trying to get people into beekeeping?

(Apart from the ISO14000 course providers who tell you that businesses should get bees for the benefit of the environment!).