Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The
local Beekeeping Association for East Yorkshire
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Purchasing
Bees
Bees should only be purchased during the flying season.
Movement during the winter could cause the clustered colony
to die out.
If you purchase a new hive with two supers and a nucleus of
bees you can expect to pay around £250 from a supplier -
see catalogues available from our secretary.
We suggests that you either:-
1. Purchase a colony (complete hive with bees) second hand
for around £50 - £100 depending on the size of the colony.
Whilst all the equipment is not brand new, you are
nevertheless purchasing a colony which will give you many
years of satisfactory service. This may be at auction or
privately. Get advice from an experienced beekeeper.
2. Purchase a colony of bees ‘on the frame’ from another
beekeeper. You will need to buy a hive, new or second hand,
to house the bees.
3. Purchase a nucleus; this is a ‘mini’ colony which you
can build up as your first year of beekeeping progresses.
This costs about £125 from Thornes. You will need to
purchase a complete hive (new or second hand) to put your
bees in within a few weeks.
4. Wait until the swarming season and collect or be given a
swarm. You will need a nucleus box to house them and within
a few weeks a complete hive.
Notes:
When you buy a hive you will need to purchase a minimum
of:-
1
floor (possibly an open-mesh)
1 brood box with deep frames (11) and foundation
2 supers each with shallow frames (10) and foundation
1 queen excluder
1 crown board / clearer board
1 roof
Additionally
you will also need a hive stand, and soon a mouse guard, a
means of closing down the entrance (entrance block or foam
strip), and Porter bee escapes (2).
Honeybees
will often forage up to 1.5 miles from their hive and this
must be borne in mind when purchasing bees. If they have
already been used to foraging in your area there is a good
chance that when you move them into your apiary they will
return to their original site rather than into their new
home. So bees must be purchased from someone who is at
least three miles away from you (as the bee flies) or who
has the facility to move them away from his apiary and move
them back to your garden at a later date.