Determing what to bid

[watercarving]

As I've discussed before I have decided to do top bar hives. I got a call from a gentlemen who knows I'm looking for bees and offered to sell me all his stuff. While I don't necissarily want Langstroth hives I wondered how to make an offer.

He said he had:

4 complete hives:
3 of the hives have - 2 deeps and 4 supers each. Have never been robbed.
1 - 55 gallon drum of corn syrup completely full
1 - 55 gallon drum of corn syrup 1/3 full
Electric fence with solar charger
All of the equipment anyone would need.

He said he had about $3,000 in his stuff but wanted me to make an offer. What would be a good offer for these items?

I was intrigued by the possibility of finding others to go in with me. I would take one of the hives and let the other person have the rest of the stuff. Thanks.

[steveouk]

That seems alot of money to me. 4 langstroth hives and 4 packages should cost you in the region of $800 - $1000 i know because thats what i have just forked out to dadant and mann lake. I'm not sure what the cost off the other items are but corn syrup is not something you really need from what i have read. Then there is the issue of possible disease to consider. Im not sure i would be inclined to make any offer and stick to your original plan.

[Jerrymac]

While I don't necissarily want Langstroth hives

I think that is your answer there. Build your TBHs and get the bees for them. Go the way you want to go from the beginning so you don't end up with a bunch of junk you don't want laying around.

[rdy-b]

all the equipment any one would need --could be a gold mine ;beesuit- smoker posobly every gadget ever made - any extracting equipment?-basic rule of thumb is used beekeeping equipment generaly drops in value to about half in the first three months and stays at half value for the next forty years 8-)-RDY-B

[watercarving]

I'm still going to do what I want. My dad was possibly looking for a hive but we dont' need all the other stuff expect for the fence.

I don't have the money to pay him 1/3 of what he says he has in it anyway. there are some other beekeepers around and thought they might want to jump in and split up the stuff. Just wasn't sure of the possible worth.

Thanks!

[randydrivesabus]

are those hives with bees?

[Kathyp]

you can price all the stuff and sell what you don't need.  i got about 20 hive bodies, 300 frames, 10 shallows, gloves and stuff, extractor (small), hot uncapping knife, and misc stuff, for 300 dollars.  figure packages are about 75.00.  i don't know the price of syrup, but can you even use that much?  the key to the value is probably in the "all the equipment anyone would need"  things like tanks, uncapping racks and tanks, wax melters, are expensive and might make it worth the price.

[watercarving]

They are hives with bees. Supposedly the 3 hives have 4 supers full of honey each as they have never been robbed.

I don't want all the Lang. hives. My dad may want one and we want the fence/charger but that's it. Just didn't know what a fair price would be.

I would say there is no expensive equipment like an extractor. He said he never robbed them. I still can't figure where the $3,000.00 is.

[Hayesbo]

I know a guy in Calhoun, GA who wants $500.00 for 3 hives and equipment for about 4 more, i think. Bee suit( expensive model), smoker, honey bucket with bottle filling valve, foundation and frames for all. Last I spoke to him he was sure that one hive was very acitve but the other two were possibles. If you want I can call him and see if he is still interested in selling. I wanted his equipment but didn't need all that he was selling even though everything he had was still new in box or just one year old. They are Langs.


Steve

[watercarving]

I appreciate it but I'm going to go all top bar hives. I really wanted the fence/charger more than anything. Just wasn't sure if what to bid if some other folks were interested in going in together. I think I'm just going to leave it alone.

[mick]

3 grand is a lot of money, no bargains there. For 3 grand Id expect an 8 frame motorised extractor to be part of the deal.

[hilltop hives]

Hayesbo and Watercarving please pm me the contact info for the people with equipment for sale.

[BMAC]

As I've discussed before I have decided to do top bar hives. I got a call from a gentlemen who knows I'm looking for bees and offered to sell me all his stuff. While I don't necissarily want Langstroth hives I wondered how to make an offer.

He said he had:

4 complete hives:
3 of the hives have - 2 deeps and 4 supers each. Have never been robbed.
1 - 55 gallon drum of corn syrup completely full
1 - 55 gallon drum of corn syrup 1/3 full
Electric fence with solar charger
All of the equipment anyone would need.

He said he had about $3,000 in his stuff but wanted me to make an offer. What would be a good offer for these items?

I was intrigued by the possibility of finding others to go in with me. I would take one of the hives and let the other person have the rest of the stuff. Thanks.

Personally I would not pay over 100 bucks per hive (exclude the honey on top).  You dont know how old the queens are and not sure if they will make it thru this season.  besides if you havent been thru them hives, you dont even know if they are queen right. 

I would not offer him a penny for the corn syrup.  It is bad for honey bees.  This study was recently published by a university in Texas in the spring of 07.

I dont know how much a solar fence costs, but I assume you have bear problems where you are. 

I would offer him only 10 dollars per super (assuming the super is empty) who knows how much honey is left in each super.  I would offer him 35 bucks per super if they are full.  That would be 10 for the super, and 25 for the honey.  Considering you have to labor to remove the honey, he cant expect market value for extracted bottled honey.

You probably need to do more investigating about what he has to offer.

However it sounds like to me you should not spend more than

400 for hives
120 for supers if empty
420 if full

$??.?? for solar powered fence

grand total of no more than 820 bucks plus the fence........

That is my thoughts on it. :-D

[Jerrymac]

$10.00 for a super?  :shock: Can't you buy them new for 6 or 7 bucks?

[BMAC]

yep you can buy the box for like 6 bucks.  Sorry, I was assuming the box had frames with drawn comb or foundation.  Just not full of honey.

[Jerrymac]

I just went looking at stuff. Has frames gone up that much? I think the last I bought were $.25 each (not counting shipping.) Now they are $.65  :shock:

[BMAC]

isnt that awesome.  I am about to buy 500 of them for like .62 ea......

foundation is crazy expensive too.  .81 ea less you want like 10,000 of them.  They knock that to .72 ea.....  DANG!!!!