Thoughts about Carnica and Langstroth hives

[maz0]

You are mistaking turnover for profit. You can't pay back investment costs out of turnover

I cant really be bothered breaking it down with a spreadsheet and trying to guesstimate the base price of a poly hive and profit markup. My point was that 60k is peanuts for the potential profits. I couldn't get poly parts off Maisemore this year without a 2 week + wait. The demand is there and I wouldn't be surprised if you could recover your 60K in the first year from profits, turnover, investor, however you want to handle your cash.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Maz0
You could start with some top space poly National and 14x12 please. I’ve had to modify my Swienty boxes.

As for shelf life I’m sure Finnie has had the same poly Paradise boxes his whole beekeeping life.

 

[Beefriendly]

My point was that 60k is peanuts for the potential profits.

Your bottle neck to all these profits is that if you only have one mould you can only make hives 1 by 1..
The old adage "if you want to make a small fortune out of beekeeping you had better start with a large one." comes to mind.

 

[BMH]

Maz0
You could start with some top space poly National and 14x12 please. I’ve had to modify my Swienty boxes.

As for shelf life I’m sure Finnie has had the same poly Paradise boxes his whole beekeeping life.

What floors do you use for your converted TBS poly nationals?

 

[maz0]

Your bottle neck to all these profits is that if you only have one mould you can only make hives 1 by 1..
The old adage "if you want to make a small fortune out of beekeeping you had better start with a large one." comes to mind.

I'm not particularly interested in how the factory operate their mould machine or speed of operation. I'd be asking for 1k/10k/20k hives delivered by container in December. If they say they need multiple moulds then you work with that. I think its quite funny how some of you are balking at 60k investment for moulds. My sister in law invested half of that setting up a hair salon.

 

[Poly Hive]

Poly working life? My old mentor who was the first to import into the UK has units well over 40 years now and still going strong.

PH

 

[maz0]

Poly working life? My old mentor who was the first to import into the UK has units well over 40 years now and still going strong.

PH

I'm sure they do in ideal situations...would be interesting to know the turn over for ITLD on the commercial side with all the travel and handling stress.

 

[Poly Hive]

Err my mentor was at the last count running 750. These 40+ year oldboxes have had a tough life. You thought he was a two hiver? LOLOL



PH

 

[maz0]

Err my mentor was at the last count running 750. These 40+ year oldboxes have had a tough life. You thought he was a two hiver? LOLOL



PH

Well I’m not a mind reader Is he transporting them in unimogs and artic lorries several times a year?

 

[Poly Hive]

No they are not Denrosa, they use a pickup and trailer and they get moved I think 4 times in the season so yes they are well used.

I was very lucky when I was starting out to get to know this BF and he was unstinting with his time and advice.

PH

 

[B+.]

Poly working life? My old mentor who was the first to import into the UK has units well over 40 years now and still going strong.

PH

Haven't you any woodpeckers up there Pete? I could send you a few ;-)

 

[Erichalfbee]

What floors do you use for your converted TBS poly nationals?

We make our own floors. Most are JBMs design underfloor. Some use an ordinary entrance block but they are all deeper under the omf so that we could vape under the mesh. Now that I have a sublimox I vape through a hole in the back drilled above the omf. I’d like to have a go at treating from the top but I darent ask Stan to make even more alterations to the floors. He’d kill me !

 

[BMH]

We make our own floors. Most are JBMs design underfloor. Some use an ordinary entrance block but they are all deeper under the omf so that we could vape under the mesh. Now that I have a sublimox I vape through a hole in the back drilled above the omf. I’d like to have a go at treating from the top but I darent ask Stan to make even more alterations to the floors. He’d kill me !

Ah ok.

I use the JBM design for my underfloor entrances (I think) but I assume you include additional bee space above the mesh to cater for TBS?

My mesh is in line with the entrance to the hive but I sublimate from above. Not sure it makes much of a difference

 

[Walrus]

Ah ok.

I use the JBM design for my underfloor entrances (I think) but I assume you include additional bee space above the mesh to cater for TBS?

My mesh is in line with the entrance to the hive but I sublimate from above. Not sure it makes much of a difference

I sublimate from above using an eke with a hole in it and as far as I can tell it works really well. Pretty sure I asked Hivemaker about this and he does the same.

 

[BMH]

I sublimate from above using an eke with a hole in it and as far as I can tell it works really well. Pretty sure I asked Hivemaker about this and he does the same.

Yeah - that's what I do.

To me, its counter intuitive as I would have though warm matter would rise, but I find its just easier to access them in the winter with the hole above.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Reminds of the story about Netflix asking Blockbuster if they would be interested in buying them in 2000 and were laughed out of the board room

Manufacturing in general is not some corporate out-of-reach process that folk sometimes think it is. You can easily approach poly moulding companies in China and have 10,000 hives produced. It's just about putting that money up front.

Would love to price it up for real, as I cant help but think 100+ quid for basic floor, broodbox, roof and super, must have huge markups on them.

And remember Kodak? They had patents on digital cameras but could never bring themselves to compete against their own film. So lots of others did!

The problem with China is they will then sell the buggers directly or copy them and do the same.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I cant really be bothered breaking it down with a spreadsheet and trying to guesstimate the base price of a poly hive and profit markup. My point was that 60k is peanuts for the potential profits. I couldn't get poly parts off Maisemore this year without a 2 week + wait. The demand is there and I wouldn't be surprised if you could recover your 60K in the first year from profits, turnover, investor, however you want to handle your cash.

Remind me not to use you as my accountant!

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Poly working life? My old mentor who was the first to import into the UK has units well over 40 years now and still going strong.

PH

Maybe I was put off by my Paynes poly which was, in no way going to last 40 years.