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Thread: colony prices

  1. #1
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    Default colony prices

    Recieved this today:
    We now have available,
    6 frame nucleus which include:-
    4 frames of brood
    2 frames of stores
    1 laying queen
    supplied in a returnable travel box.
    ONLY £299 (+ £25 returnable deposit for travel box)


    11 frame complete hive which include
    6 frames of brood (approx)
    5 frames of stores (approx)
    1 laying queen
    1 cedar open mesh floor
    1 cedar national brood box
    1 cedar 4" flat roof.
    Ideal to if you want to dive straight into honey production.
    ONLY £499

    Apparently I am expensive with 6 frame colonies 80€ 10 Frames 120€ & 140€ for 20 Frame colonies... I should be exporting to the UK! German bees, like German engineered shampoo zoom zoom!
    what is the going rate locally?

  2. #2
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    WOW ! crazy prices

    5 frame nuc with new laying queen are about £100 - £120 in N.Ireland but some beekeepers will sell much cheaper at £60-80. works out at about £80 for the bees and £20 for the queen

  3. #3
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    when I started my Dad bought me my first 5 frame nuc of local dark black bees for £5 with an old WBC hive thrown in free. Times have changed

  4. #4

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    I got that email as well Calum. Not sure who Northern Bees are to be honest but they clearly have access to our email addresses! I think those prices are utterly ridiculous. I think about £150 is fair for an overwintered nuc of locally adapted bees in this day and age. Less for a summer split with current year's queen. I might also tailor my prices to the person I'm selling to. But £299 for a 6 frame nuc??!!! Nuts!!

    Edit: a quick Google found their website at http://northernbees.co.uk/. I see they list them as "available now" - makes you wonder about the provenance of the queens as I doubt they'll have current year mated queens in Nth Yorkshire yet!
    Last edited by drumgerry; 30-04-2014 at 05:57 PM.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    There's your answer

    We supply British bred queen bees when available. Alternatively we offer imported queens, which we now use in our six comb nucleus.
    £299 for something which will likely be an aggressive hybrid colony once it requeens itsef.
    Buyer beware, not that there will be many at that price.

  6. #6

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    Jon - I honestly think you'd be surprised how many would buy at that price. Getting bees can be a problem for people unless they know someone or have spent a year or two making themselves known on the local scene and if people are keen to get going they might just splash out on one of those nucs. I don't think they'll have problems selling them.

  7. #7
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    I think those prices are unrealistic this year … prices are well down. I've had many fewer enquiries for nucs. If I could sell them for that, I would. However, within our association we try and keep prices down and £100-110 is the figure now - 5 frames, overwintered, new(ish) frames, bulging at the seams. There seem to be less "nuc wanted" postings on other fora as well ...

  8. #8

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    Maybe it's a geographical thing fatshark - I don't know. Certainly nucs are just as thin on the ground up here as they've been the last few years.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by drumgerry View Post
    Maybe it's a geographical thing fatshark - I don't know. Certainly nucs are just as thin on the ground up here as they've been the last few years.
    I'm looking forwards to the Pembrokeshire BKA annual auction on Saturday and I reckon full colonies, just the bees on frames, will probably only reach a third of those prices, I could be wrong but its a buyers market with so few winter losses and the mad rush of beginners having eased off.

  10. #10
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    Yes, winter losses are well down this season and there is no shortage of bees at all. In a week or two you'll be getting swarm calls from the council etc . I reckon 5 frame nucs (one empty frame, 3 brood, 1 stores, +2014 queen) is worth about £80 min, such a unit would expand very quickly with a good queen what ever race you choose. I already have several experienced beeks and beginners on my books wanting nucs, just waiting on the queens to do their stuff and test them out.

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