The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Bees & Beekeeping => Topic started by: waterbuffalofarmer on April 16, 2014, 08:07:40 am

Title: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on April 16, 2014, 08:07:40 am

Hi
I am looking for at least one beehive and some bees for 2014. However I have not been able to find any bees.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: Bionic on April 16, 2014, 09:12:44 am

Do you want second hand hives or new? Whereabouts are you?
Last year we bought bees from Melindwr Valley Bees, Aberstwyth. He sells hives too

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on April 16, 2014, 09:25:02 am

I'm not really bothered second hand hives would be good provided they are in good condition.
We are based in mid wales. Here is the link to our website.
http://www.buffalodairy.co.uk/ (http://www.buffalodairy.co.uk/)
Thanks

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: Bionic on April 16, 2014, 12:11:53 pm

Ah, I see you are up near Aberstwyth yourself, so you can't be far from the people I gave you the details of.
Failing that you can always buy hives from Thornes. They are expensive but pretty good.

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on April 16, 2014, 02:11:58 pm

Hi,
Yes, just been on their website, looks interesting and not too far away. Thanks very much for the lead.
Best wishes
Eirene

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: Beeducked on April 17, 2014, 08:37:12 pm

There's also Fragile Planet in Oswestry who are pretty good. I got a nuc from then last year and they are a cracking colony.

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: cloddopper on April 18, 2014, 10:53:08 pm

If you're handy with a bench saw & a router etc  you can make the brood boxes , bases & supers etc.etc.  yourself for a fraction of the price of the big boys selling prices and make them in western red cedar to boot ( very long lasting wood ) ..

Thorne's & others sell metric or imperial sized " National bee hive "  plans and several other sized plans as well so does the British Bee Keepers association (BBKA)

 I made the vast majority of my own fifty national metric sized hives .

Having set standardized  sized hives helps no end as all parts are interchangeable.
You'll  only need one type of frame style , super or brood box etc.
 I've taught keepers who had four or five different types of " car boot/auction  " hives and all manner of hotchpotch devices to make incorrect frames sit in the supers & brood boxes.
They didn't do very well in the long term as they always had problems with things .
 
 The only thing I got from Thornes in the end was the self spacing all wood Langstroth ( ? ) style frames & frame pins as I'd managed to get hold of a foundation moulding set at an auction for pennies .

Title: Re: Is anyone selling beehives and bees?
Post by: WillieBee on April 19, 2014, 02:35:53 pm

This company also make hives, they are pretty cheap too.

http://www.caddon-hives.co.uk/National-Beehives/National-Bee-Hive/ (http://www.caddon-hives.co.uk/National-Beehives/National-Bee-Hive/)

Another hive maker, actually based in my home town can be seen below. Their hives are good, but as cheap. Their website is ..

http://thehivemaker.co.uk/the-hive/ (http://thehivemaker.co.uk/the-hive/)

Good luck in your venture.