Should I buy an established hive in Oct in Upstate NY

[grozzie2]

I always tell folks, in the spring starting with a full size colony puts you much farther ahead than starting with a package or nuc. OTOH, in the fall, what you are buying is winter risk, and it needs to be priced appropriately. Prices vary by region and time of year.

There is huge advantage to starting with drawn comb. OTOH, there are potential huge disadvantages to starting with old diseased comb. A newcomer to beekeeping probably cant tell the difference between brood comb drawn this season and comb thats been in the hive for years.

So as in all things beekeeping, correct answer to the original question is, 'It depends...'

[gnor]

I think the best advice on here is join the club. I think that's a very good price, but in my experience, you get what you pay for. You may be buying someone else's problems, and being new, you wouldn't know until it bit you.
Join the club, find a mentor, and go from there.

[Saltybee]

What's the law in NY? Is an inspection by the State inspector required prior to all bee sales?

[wildbranch2007]

What's the law in NY? Is an inspection by the State inspector required prior to all bee sales?

no, we are lawless only have 2 1/2 bee inspectors, and registration is optional, but you can request an inspection, since the commercials are leaving for nicer weather, I would expect the inspectors would be busy with them, if they are still working