SALE beemax hives

[olddrone]

There has been much discussion about these, mostly positive. We run 200 hives, so we have about 500 deeps, and if I were starting new I would use 100% beemax (polystyrene) if I could get them at the sale price good through Dec. 22. $10.75, instead of $14.75! 800-632-3379 or on the web at www.betterbee.com. (http://www.betterbee.com.)

A great xmas gift.

No, we do not have any relationship with Betterbee other than as a dealer we sometimes (but not mostly) buy from.

[dcross]

The glue is quite a bit cheaper elsewhere though.

[Axtmann]

The Styrofoam hives are great; they have a good climate inside. Less moisture during winter, not so heave in summer. Bees love it; ants love it, and the woodpecker’s love it and a mouse don’t need to search for the entrance.
I wonder how it works in a bear country?

[jfischer]

> I wonder how it works in a bear country?

I'd expect that the bears around here would
mistake it for a Styrofoam cooler full of
food! They would not be too far off in
this, would they?

Honestly, to a bear weighing several hundred
pounds minimum, a wooden hive is not going
to "survive" any better than a foam one or
even a paper one. The wood might as well be
balsa wood. One can salvage a few bits and
pieces after a bear hits a yard, but if he/she
touches a hive, it is mostly kindling.

[olddrone]

"The glue is quite a bit cheaper elsewhere though."

Yeah, Betterbee is an enigma. Things such as the glue are priced as if they buy it at Home Depot...which is probably true. Why don't they recommend that it be purchased there and get some points for not being so greedy?

They also sell and promote the h... out of junk such as their plastic pollen trap. Marked down about 50%, but buying one is like setting fire to a $10 bill.

More to the point, why glue the beemax hive together? Can't believe it is necessary. Then in the case of mouse or bear damage it would be easy to just replace the damaged piece.

[jfischer]

> More to the point, why glue the beemax hive together?

Maybe because screws and nails won't work? http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

Seriously, think about picking up a hive
body or super. You are supporting at least
20 lbs, as much as 80lbs. You can't lift it
and keep it perfectly level, the strains are
going to end up being at angles. All it
would take is one corner to work loose, and
now you have a "bee grenade". Ever have
a hive body come apart when you lifted it?
Of course not, you don't have any old ratty
boxes, do you? http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

As for Betterbee's price on glue, cut them
some slack, and remember that they both
give you a discount, and answer their
e-mail promptly. Anyone who sells something
by mail feels obligated to provide all the
"accessories", so that the guy who orders
something shipped to Timbuktu can order
EVERYTHING he needs, as he does not have
a well-stocked hardware store nearby.

Of course they don't have a low price
on glue, they don't sell enough to be
able to buy at a decent discount, but
still have all the costs of inventory,
sunk capital, packing it so it won't
leak all over your $300.00 refractometer,
and so on.

(Timbuktu is a real place, in Mali. I have
not been there in a long time, but I'm
willing to bet serious money that they
don't have a Lowes, Home Depot, or Mall-Wart.)