Thorne's Budget National

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Cricketfool

New Bee
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Messages
13
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0
Location
Christchurch, Dorset
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
1
I am a complete beginner looking to get a hive soon and am a little bewildered at the variety availablable...:leaving:

Does anyone know much about Thorne's "Bees on a budget" flat pack national? The blurb says "Timber may have solid live knots. All frames are second quality and made predominantly from Russian Redwood."

Anybody had one of these? Is it any good?
 
I am a complete beginner looking to get a hive soon and am a little bewildered at the variety availablable...:leaving:

Does anyone know much about Thorne's "Bees on a budget" flat pack national? The blurb says "Timber may have solid live knots. All frames are second quality and made predominantly from Russian Redwood."

Anybody had one of these? Is it any good?
i have had my budget national for a year now with no probs they seem to be realy good deal. dont think the bees no they are in a budget hive. i will be buying another one this year.
 
All my equipment is Thorne's seconds.

I have 4 14x12, 4 National and about 15 supers. I've had to chuck away a couple of top bars only. I needed to drill a couple of nail holes as there were knots in the way.

Hope this helps.
 
if you want a made up hive of better quality than the shop sold ones then several on here make excellent hives, so iwould suggest send a message to two i know hivemaker or Tom Bick

$hornes buget hives had about a 6 week delivery time as at the end of April because they had their normal sale at the BBKA stoneligh event

if making a bees on budget hive,

Don't: keep the flat packs in doors, they can dry out and warp

Do: look on their web site for biulding instrction and ASK on here as the instruction to biuld are basic ( or less politely crap)

Do:sort out the best top and bottom bars from the two supers and brood to make your brood box..and pratice first with a super not the brood . Your bees live in it 365 days a year, a super used couple of months a year

Do: pre drill the nail holes or use thin decking screws for the larger nails though the top bars ( knotts bend the nails)

Do: glue with external wood glue

if you see thornes beehives advertised on Fleabay then its normal a made up bees on a budget hive

for the future, a standard box may not be large enough with modern bees, so next year you may need an EKe to extended the box ( £20 ish) and new 14x12 frames) or perhaps try and extra super as an additional brood box (called brood and a half)

Do: buy extra metal frames runners to replace the plastic one in the kit
 
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Made up 2 over winter. Instructions for the first were crap but much better for the second. Quality was good. Only one knot hole needed filler and a few drilling through.
Plenty of help available here if you get stuck, but if you are failry competent at DIY I should not think you will have a problem. I thoroughly enjoyed making them up.

My problem is now lack of bees. 45 on beginners course all waiting for swarms all local ads for nucs sold out, often before they are published.

Have fun
 
I have a few of these. Instructions were rubbish or missing, so ask an experienced beek to help. You have to get the bee space right. Other than that, I think they are good value.
 
I am a complete beginner looking to get a hive soon and am a little bewildered at the variety availablable...:leaving:

Does anyone know much about Thorne's "Bees on a budget" flat pack national? The blurb says "Timber may have solid live knots. All frames are second quality and made predominantly from Russian Redwood."

Anybody had one of these? Is it any good?

get in touch with the " hive maker " for a quality hive :cheers2:
 
Made up 2 over winter. Instructions for the first were crap but much better for the second. Quality was good. Only one knot hole needed filler and a few drilling through.
Plenty of help available here if you get stuck, but if you are failry competent at DIY I should not think you will have a problem. I thoroughly enjoyed making them up.

My problem is now lack of bees. 45 on beginners course all waiting for swarms all local ads for nucs sold out, often before they are published.

Have fun
Very helpful - I'm fairly competent DIYer so sounds good to me!
 
i have two and there the best you can get for the money i think apart from polyhives.
 
I'm considering buying a Lang poly hive and plastic frames but I want to see how I fair with my swi-bine mini mating nucs first. Seems a lot of old time beeks slam them without a second thought, but as they are reasonably priced I will see if any are for sale tomorrow at the MVBKA (listed on the calendar)

Also it will be interesting to see how much some of the nucs will sell for, I know of at least 5 nucs all of which are brimming with bees will be for sale (not mine).

Highest price last year was £320 for a good 5 frame nuc bee-smillie
 

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