Adding more Hives

[Cyndi]

Okay, after spending an entire Saturday with a beekeeper watching him rob his hives and extract all that honey (from this forum), I decided to go ahead and add more hives next year - 5 of them.

I really have enjoyed the 8 frame English Garden Hive from BM and want to keep everything the same so that everything is interchangeable and in some kind of order. My plan is to split my one hive and therefore I will have 2. What is the most economical way to obtain new hives. I added up everything that I thought I would need to get started, including extra supers...WOW!! it went well over $1500...that is buying the entire set up from BM without me having to build anything except assembly once they arrive. This is how much it costs:

(5) Qty. Complete 8 frame English Garden Hives at $109.95 each = $549.75

16 extra 8 frame supers at 28.95 each = $463.20

5 Rabbited Hive Body's for my Pail Feeder, at 13.95 each = $69.75

4 Packages of Italian Bees at last year's prices of 65.00 each - 260.00

5 extra pail feeders at 4.00 each = $20.00

+ an extra $100.00 for tax and shipping.

Any other ideas?????? I really don't want to build these myself cause I don't have the time. I do definitely want to stay with the 8 frame mediums though.

[iddee]

1600/5=320 per hive
Even at 50 lb. per hive at 3.00 per pound, you have a profit the 3rd year. How many years will the equip. last. About the only other suggestion is relax your requirements a little, or sell and replace a few hives until your average cost is down.
I use standard 10 frame hives and catch or split to make increase. Average cost,60.00 per hive. I sell a few each year for 150 to 200, making the remainder free, or at a profit.
The honey I sell is all profit.
I also charge from 250 to 600 for removals from structures and all this money is used for equip. and supplies.

[hmeadq]

Our honey is all profit according to my math. This year we had 1 ,next year 4, year after 8 then ...

I figure $250 a hive assuming we buy anassembled 10 frame units. or 175 for a split. That is using commerical grade from Mann Lake. 2 deeps, 2 suppers and all the misc stuff...

But our bees pollinate our cucmbers, squash, and everything else. This year we more than DOUBLED our production, and I credit it to the bees. We had only a couple shrivled ends, unpollinated fuits this year as opposed to previous years where 25% plus of our cucumbers were unpollinated. They are worth every penny. So don't forget to include that!

[Lew Best]

I'm not familiar with the english garden hives but the prices look awful expensive to me. supers 28.95 each? rabetted hive bodies 13.95? I picked up mediums (10 frame) in the "cheap grade" for something like 5.50-5.75 (unassembled of course) at nearby Dadant branch to save shipping & ordered frames from Kelley's were about 80 bux a hundred including shipping (KY to TX). I make my own bottom boards & tops; may not be as nice as commecial made from regular lumber but a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 plywood makes quite a few for something less than 30 bux a sheet. I just make migratory covers for simplicity.

Lew

[Michael Bush]

You don't need the fancy lids of the garden hives. A migratory lid will work. You also will be better off with all the same size frames, so I'd do all mediums (perhaps you are).

You can make a lot of things. My tops are just a piece of 3/4" ply 13 3/4" by 19 7/8" with a shim on both sides to make a top entrance.

Lots of things work for feeders. You could use baggies or mason jars or whatever is easy and cheap to find for a container.

You can do splits for more bees instead of buying packages. You just won't get much (if any) honey.

[Cyndi]

Well, I did manage to bring it down a couple of hundred dollars by not using the English Garden Hive lids, I will settle for the *flat* look :D and assembeling them myself and buying some of the pieces seperately. I know what I'm going to be doing this winter, LOL!!

[chief]

I just figured out that I've spent about $850 on my bee stuff so far. So far I've bought all my stuff from the local bee supply that’s quite expensive. A lot of what I have bought has even been old used equipment in poor condition. I just went to Western Bee Supply on the internet and found that for the same equipment if I had bought it from them would have cost me $390. This doesn’t include shipping which they quoted at about $50 for my location. You live farther away so I'm guessing it would cost a little more for shipping. The moral of this story is shop around. There are tons of bee supply stores on the internet so look around. There is also a post in the beekeeping equipment part of this forum titled “Price Wars” or something like that and it has some good replies on where to get the cheapest stuff. Good luck.

[newbee 101]

Brushy Mtn has migratory tops for 8 framers with aluminum flashing on top for about 12.95 each. Alot cheaper than those English Garden tops.
Assembled always cost more.