What should I buy?

[Susan1]

Am now into my second year with two hives on the go and I have four supers and all the usual bits I need. But I guess I will have to buy more things now incase the bees or is it when the bees decide to swarm. I can't really afford another hive but should I get a nuc and some more frames. I have one nuc from when I got the bees.

 

[Swarm]

Another nuc or two would be a good idea.

 

[Poly Hive]

And another two supers and furniture.

PH

 

[enrico]

Actually this is quite an important point to all new beekeepers. If you are doing AS's then you will multiply your hives up rapidly. Set a limit on how many hives you want, double that for the equipment and then make sure that at the end of the year you have combined or manipulated or sold to end up with THAT amount of hives. Otherwise it can run expensive, take up far more time than you intended and become a chore rather than a pleasure...
Good thread to mention it on... Thanks
E

 

[sandysman]

 

[Poly Hive]

Actually extra supers will help with the swarming issue, and of course clearing off the finished ones.

PH

 

[Rich0909]

If you don't want to increase the number of hives then Demaree may be an option for swarm control which is relatively inexpensive as it only involves an extra brood box and frames and uses the same roof & floor. Does have disadvantages such as extra lifting and may need to be repeated but it is worth reading up on.
Whatever you do |I wouldn't delay too long, I found charged QC's in both my hives today......

Rich.

 

[Rosti]

If additional colonies is a short term swarm control then purchase additional supers (and double them up for additional crude national BB's) at least your purchase is then multi use. Buying/making a nuc is fine - until you want to cull old queens and recombine. Yes there is the issue of floors and crowns (its summer so no roof is only the same as a cheap ply nuc on top anyway) ...

 

[onriver]

maybe worth thinking of making up some boxes, either nucs or brood for an AS out of whatever cheap wood you can find - if you aren't needing them to cope with winter, they needn't be expensive. Hedgerow Pete has plenty of advice under the construction section!

 

[Susan1]

Thank you for all the replies. I would like another hive but as I have said I can't afford it at the moment. I got two lovely ceder hives and all the bits for them when I started but have since semi retired and money is tight.
I think I will try and get one more brood box and frames and mayby a poly nuc. I am not sure what a demaree is so will look it up.
Have two hives as had to do an AS last year but I can see how you would easily end up with lots of hives if I had to do two ASs this year then four next year etc.... Course I might not get to that stage but its best to be prepaired.