Thorne budget hives

[taurus]

Are these budget hives OK or is it worth spending more?

Ideally I'd eventually like to make my own but it would be handy to have something decent to start with.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes they are - the only differences being they are made with British cedar not Canadian (so already ticks the sustainability box)and the finish may not be as perfect as the more expensive ones

 

[For want of a better word]

Are these budget hives OK or is it worth spending more?

Ideally I'd eventually like to make my own but it would be handy to have something decent to start with.

If I was starting over I would but polystyrene Nationals as made by Beehivesupplies in the UK and similar made in the EU ( and non EU countries)

At the end of the day you get what you pay for it seems.

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

Are these budget hives OK or is it worth spending more?

Ideally I'd eventually like to make my own but it would be handy to have something decent to start with.

I bought one last year and the quality is not too bad, my only disappointment was a damaged super and the tin for the roof was mangled, they did however replace the super and luckily i have a spare roof, i also bought 2 cheaper ones from fleebay and to me the cheaper ones seem better quality , i say cheaper but it was only the hive with no frames or foundation, time will tell i suppose how they fare up to each other.

 

[Itchy]

I've had lots of seconds - only ever one knot that fell out.

 

[pargyle]

Personally .. Polys tick so many boxes ..great for the bees - last virtually forever - cost less than the equivalent timber hives. Quite a few commercial beekeepers are moving to Polys which may give you a clue. Perhaps not as pretty or traditional but you can customise them with a bit of paint. Worth considering ...

 

[buckwyns]

I have bought many of these hives and always found them to be good. If there has been any damage in transit or something not right, they have always replaced quickly, and they cannot be faulted on that. Again, you get what you pay for, but I have always been happy with them. Hope this helps you to make a decision.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Personally .. Polys tick so many boxes .Worth considering ...

I started with all wood, now my overwintering colonies are four poly and one wood.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Polys tick so many boxes

Yes, but the OP is asking about the quality of T's budget hives and whether it's worth spending more - the answer is - no

all my brood boxes and supers are 'second quality' (either big T's or Maisies) out of a few hundred I've only had two I've had to fiddle with - one had a dead knot which was loose so I had to glue it back in, another had a knot hole about the diameter of a pencil I had to fill. not a bad deal for the price I paid for them

 

[taurus]

Thanks folks - useful information to ponder.

I have taken a look at poly but the reason for considering wood is that I'd like to have a crack at making my own hives in due course.

I have worked with polystyrene and similar materials building model aircraft, I used to get some excellent blue foam as scrap from Pilkington's which made awesome wing ribs and fuselages for electric models. But I much prefer working with wood (or welding is fun - but probably not your no.1 choice for making bee hives.)

 

[For want of a better word]

Polly of the grade that beehives are made from is not easily sourced.... but you would be amazed at the timber stuff you can acquire from a bit of "skip dipping"!

Buy a KD and keep as a template!

Yeghes da

 

[alldigging]

We bought two for our association. One was put together on the hive building day. Everything is in the box that you need. Once you've built one you might decide that you're happy buying the bits separately, but it is a great way to get a hive.

 

[snelgrove]

My hives are made out of 3 quarter inch plywood. Well treated last for years. Would be great to have expensive cedar hives and first quality frames , but I ain't won the lottery yet.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

Mann Lake sale is on now might be worth checking as well

Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hmmm

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=520648#post520648

 

[REDWOOD]

The Viva HB in your avatar is the same car and colour as I once had. 1159 over square engine with a zenith carb. Many happy times in 1978.

 

[Swarm]

I have less favourable memories of the back end of the bell housing disintegrating and being towed home from Exeter.
Same model, same colour.

 

[taurus]

The Viva is actually a 1971 HC 1256 - one of the very early ones with drum brakes all round and no servo.

I got it out of a barn - literally - and spent many hours putting it back together again.



Anyway - back to things I know nothing about.....thinking about buying a couple of first hives to begin with, assuming I go for the Thorne budget kit - as a newbie should I stick with the standard size brood box or start off with 14x12?

 

[Cussword]

The Viva is actually a 1971 HC 1256 - one of the very early ones with drum brakes all round and no servo.

I got it out of a barn - literally - and spent many hours putting it back together again.



Anyway - back to things I know nothing about.....thinking about buying a couple of first hives to begin with, assuming I go for the Thorne budget kit - as a newbie should I stick with the standard size brood box or start off with 14x12?

Start with the standard size, you can always convert them to 14 x 12 later if you feel the need.

 

[Robbo8916]

I bought seconds in the sale from Thornes, I'm really impressed for the price. Effectively got two full hives for £170 inc frames. Just need to buy some foundation.

Knocked one together in about 30 minutes. Once you've done one box, they're really easy to do.