[bean tree homestead]

I am not trying to bad mouth any one and I am really to new to know if this type of behavior is normal. So I figured I would just post my predicament here and get feed back.
Before the new year I purchased two nucs via the phone from a bee supplier the supplier was offering free shipping for his nucs and said he would email me later to dissuss a pick up location. Well 2 and a half months go by and he send me an email to verify the pick up location for me to meet him at. According to his web page it states that delivery would be late Aprial to early May. Well Aprial the 29th swings around and I email him for an update and he says the 23rd-25th of May. I am not to happy that all the blooms around me are in full swing but I know bees can be fickle so I take it in stride.
I sit back and watch the facebook updates from him posting pictures of tons and tons of packages that he is delivering. I read comments from his pages such as "Sorry we don't do much on Facebook this time of year, so very busy until end of May. We are running package bees all over Gods green earth. All is going well, will try to update some pictures soon."

All is fine and dandy until I get this email in my box.
Names have been removed.

OPTIONS
1. Refund your money

2. Come to our farm when they are ready and strong enough to pick up.
Probably in June.

Please let us know asap so we can plan and get you taken care of.

Please email us back.

Thank you for your understanding.

This has nothing to do with package deliveries.

Further emails have just blamed the weather and how they should move their farm up here if I am having perfect weather up here. While posting pictures of tractor trailers full of bees.

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Let me guess .... initials are HHF.



Of course weather is a factor in any agricultural operation.

Accept the refund - and don't delay! Get yours before further issues develop. It could be a lot worse - at least they are offering a refund.

 

[jwcarlson]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

It's been a very rough year, and he's right. Packages are probably rolling in from California or Georgia. If he's selling local nucs as well, you pay a premium, and get a better product.

I'm not sure what your weather has been like, but besides a few decent days, this whole spring has been terrible over here on the eastern side of Iowa. We've got mid-30 degree nights coming up the next few days before hopefully warming back up this weekend. I doubt the bees have left the hive much at all the last few days. Highs of about 50, some rain, windy... just really bad about 75% of the time around here.

 

[bean tree homestead]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Look I have nothing but sympathy for someone who has to wrestle a living out of the ice grips of mother nature's hand. Heck I am a freaking homesteader in Iowa, its a concept I understand in droves but.. when some one says they cant supply a nuc and then post pictures of this on their face book well.. I feel that I have been lied too.


https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net...357_743358972383413_7483705246155924768_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net...372_743359055716738_2779422445619639388_n.jpg

 

[bean tree homestead]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

I was trying to do a search and see who else may of had this issue but my search skills need more work. I had no desire to kick a dead horse.

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

To be fair, the photos you linked are 'packages', not nucs.

IMO the problem is that they don't want anymore to run the delivery route they earlier offered that would take them close to you. That may be because not enough of your neighbors signed up to make the delivery run profitable to them. That is why they have product available, but don't want to fill your order.

 

[Bradley_Bee]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

This year I put 150 nucs together for queens that I had already put a down payment on. The day of deliver I waited at UPS but the queens didn't come. I called the supplier . He said told me how sorry he was and how bad of a year they had had. It was complete bs. He could of called me a week in advance when he knew he wasn't going to complete the order. He also couldn't complete the following weeks few hundred order. This is not normal behavior for a business nor for your guy. I canceled all the orders and will probably never do business with them again. I suggest you do the same. There is plenty of competition out there.

 

[JRG13]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

IMO, if you can shake a few thousand packages, how hard is it to shake a few into nuc boxes at the same time?

 

[mathesonequip]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

boy am glad I got packages from mann lake. boy am I glad I got a few nucs from some local folks in business for close to 40 years. deal with great suppliers not internet bull agents.

 

[jwcarlson]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Look I have nothing but sympathy for someone who has to wrestle a living out of the ice grips of mother nature's hand. Heck I am a freaking homesteader in Iowa, its a concept I understand in droves but.. when some one says they cant supply a nuc and then post pictures of this on their face book well.. I feel that I have been lied too.


https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net...357_743358972383413_7483705246155924768_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net...372_743359055716738_2779422445619639388_n.jpg

Do you want a package of bees or a nucleus colony of bees? I'm assuming you know the differences and advantages/disadvantages there in...
Getting upset at him importing packages but not having a nuc for you would be like getting mad at a grocery store for being out of pears even though they still have apples. Silly.

If what you want is a "nuc" that's just a package he shook into a box and then charged you an extra $50-100 for, let him know and I bet he'll be happy to make it happen for ya.

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Note from the email referenced in post #1 that the vendor is happy to sell the nuc, however, they are now refusing to deliver the nuc as originally arranged. This is not an availability issue, it is that the supplier, HHF, has changed their mind about the promised delivery route.

 

[jwcarlson]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Note from the email referenced in post #1 that the vendor is happy to sell the nuc, however, they are now refusing to deliver the nuc as originally arranged. This is not an availability issue, it is that the supplier, HHF, has changed their mind about the promised delivery route.

I guess I read the OP's being upset moreso because of the delays and read the part about delivery, but did not make the connection. Revoking delivery would be upsetting. I'm guessing he was planning on running nucs as part of the package bee distribution but the nucs aren't ready so he can't "double dip" and is now backtracking. That is very much upsetting and isn't great business practice.

That said, at least he's offering a refund and if you cannot get to his farm to pick them up, I'd take that and call it a lesson learned.

 

[bean tree homestead]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

IMO, if you can shake a few thousand packages, how hard is it to shake a few into nuc boxes at the same time?

BINGO, These are not import bees in the picture these are his own..at least that is what I got from his Facebook post.

 

[Russ]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Don't believe every thing you read on the Internet is the first lesson learned.

 

[jwcarlson]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

BINGO, These are not import bees in the picture these are his own..at least that is what I got from his Facebook post.

Then you're not buying a nuc, you're buying a preinstalled package.

 

[bean tree homestead]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Well it looks like we wont starting bees this year. I am in the process of making arrangements to get bees local next year (which I should of done from the get go). One strange thing I did notice however is that this producer no longer has an ad in the ad section nor does he have a section in the vendor's part of the board... I wonder why?

I was waiting to get my bees before I got my first sting .. oh well live and learn.

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Vendor forums are sponsored forums - that means the vendor pays money to have that sponsored forum. If the vendor decides to not renew their sponsorship/subscription, then their 'forum' will likely be removed by the Beesource Administrator. That appears to have happened to the HHF form.

However, through a little search activity, the threads themselves are still available:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?319-Honey-Hive-Farms

 

[Northwest PA Beekeeper]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

bean tree homestead - all is not lost for this year. Request a refund and fet a hive and all the equipment for a hive and then put an ad in your local paper "Wanted honeybee swarms"and your phone number.
With some luck some person will have a swarm cluster on a bush in their yard and they will be more than happy to give you a call to "get rid of all those stinging insects". You'll be a hero plus you will get free bees.
Keep the name of your bee supplier in your head of "Companies to NEVER call again."

 

[Yukon-Gold]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Bean tree homestead, I don't know where Mondamin is but I am picking up a nuc in Iowa this weekend and it seems they have more available. The name of the place is Fieldstone Farms. The owners are involved with the Iowa Honey Producers Association so they appear to be on the up and up. I can't attest to the quality of the nucs yet, but am hopeful. If you're interested I can let you know how it looks after I pick up. I'm getting it on Saturday night.

 

[jwcarlson]

Re: Is this noraml behavior with bee suppliers?

Bean tree homestead, I don't know where Mondamin is but I am picking up a nuc in Iowa this weekend and it seems they have more available. The name of the place is Fieldstone Farms. The owners are involved with the Iowa Honey Producers Association so they appear to be on the up and up. I can't attest to the quality of the nucs yet, but am hopeful. If you're interested I can let you know how it looks after I pick up. I'm getting it on Saturday night.

It's all the way over on the Missouri River. But if the nuc is available near the center of the state like everything bee related seems to be, it probably is a reasonable drive for someone wanting to get started this year. We drove about 3.5 hours each way to get packages.