What is the value of a colony bees (these) days?

[Ben Framed]

If a person was starting from scratch and wished to purchase a complete beehive; What is the value of a complete colony of healthy bees worth these days?  For example, healthy bees, top, bottom, two deeps and two supers in excellent condition. What would that person expect to pay?

[Michael Bush]

There are two kinds of pricing for everything.  The one where the seller needs to make money to stay in business and the one where the seller just wants to get out of the business or get rid of that one hive.  One way to calculate would be to add up the cost of all the equipment new and the cost of a package and figure you have avoided the risk of the package failing.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Mr Bush. I am asking from a buyers point of view. For example I seen an advertisement for a nucleus colony priced at $215. Now that does not include even a hive body, top, or bottom, only five frames of bees in a portable box of whatever type material it is they?re using for nucleus sales these days.
This sparked my curiosity, of what could a person who wanted to start from scratch, who wished to purchase a complete colony, ready to go , expect to pay. I know the number is subjective but is there a base price for such a description, just as in a nucleus purchasing situation?

[Michael Bush]

I've seen some packages of bees for that price (though I thought they were overpriced).

[Ben Framed]

I've seen some packages of bees for that price (though I thought they were overpriced).

I don?t doubt it Mr Bush, it seems like inflation is effecting everything (these) days.

Phillip

[Terri Yaki]

I got my two deep+two medium frame hives for around $210, then I had to assemble them. I'm paying $175 for my nuc but I think that's a low price, it is the cheapest I found through my beeks' club. Accordingly, I'd say that $400 would be a very cheap price for a healthy colony and go up from there.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Terri, I just checked man lake prices. For an assembled single deep painted box with frames and wax covered plasti-cell foundation, this alone is priced 109.95. That?s one box, period. Now the four boxes initially described in the OP. if we multiply that by four, we still have no top, no bottom plus the shipping (if appliable) plus taxes. We still have no comb, no eggs, no brood, no bee bread or pollen, no stores, no queen excluder, and we still don?t have the first bee inside the box.

With this in consideration, what is a fair price for a complete hive with healthy bees and productive proven queen already laying, as described in the original post, ready to be placed in its new home location, and immediately ready get down to business? 😁

[cao]

I tell people that are thinking about getting bees, expect to spend about $3-500 per hive.  I priced out the equipment for a friend a couple years ago and it was near $300.  That was with my used boxes.
 Then you add the bees.  Some people go into sticker shock when you tell them each hive you own is worth $500, and you have 50 of them.  And it is just a hobby.

[Bob Wilson]

If the question is how much I would sell a 10 frame, established hive to another person who has the money and wants an easier way into beekeeping, I would double the price of a nuc in Georgia.
2 X $175  = $350.00.
That is just for a simple 10 frame solid bottom box with a migratory top and a simple disc entrance, an established queen, 10 filled out deep frames, and good bee density.
If you add in bottom boards, cover boards, telescopic lids and such... then I don't know.

However, if the question is how much money do I need to save up to get into beekeeping, when I have to count my pennies, then the answer for me was...
PURCHASE:
1. The jacket (I wear jeans),
2. leather gloves,
3. a smoker, and
4. a hive tool, and
5. probably 20 unassembled frames.
(Most of these things were Christmas presents from my family members one year.)

DO MYSELF:
1. Assemble the frames myself.
2. Build a cheap box with a solid bottom, a migratory lid, and a hole for an entrance.
3. Find my own smoker fuel, such as pine straw.
4. Bait the hive with lemon oil (and swap a new frame to a beek for an old used frame) to attract a swarm.

This is how I did it.
It doesn't have to break the bank to get into beekeeping, if we have a little ingenuity and industriousness.

[Terri Yaki]

These are the hives that I got. Right now, I have two built and one still in the box waiting for its day. I have found none cheaper.

https://www.vevor.com/bee-hive-c_10974/vevor-beehive-box-kit-bee-honey-hive-40-frames-2-deep-2-medium-natural-fir-wood-p_010394677269

[Ben Framed]

Terri those are nice!  I really hope you obtain your first bees soon!

Phillip 

[Terri Yaki]

Thanks. We have a few cold and windy days upon us but starting Sunday, we have a week of temps into the 70s so I've got my fingers crossed. My neighbor's uncle is coming in to go through his hive this weekend to see if they need to split it. Poor guy had seven hives last year but only has one right now and he's worried I'm going to nab his swarm. I'm scheduled to pick up my nuc on Sunday.

[Bill Murray]

I think Packages no matter where you get them a overpriced. For the beginning beekeeper that dosnt have open brood , to anchor them in. well enough said.
For the established beekeeper hes getting them at a cut price because he knows the guy, or the guy of the guy that needs to get rid of those bees or they will be hanging in a tree.

As for nucs, Back when I was killing bees every year I purchased nucs from a lot of different people, and learned alot by that. I could drive 2 hrs to mims and buy a nuc that was busting at the seams, clean, new frames with fresh drawn wax and have 2/3 frames of capped brood, 1 frame of BAS, and a feed frame. Im drawing on memory here but it was right at 200.00, if you bought under 10. over 100 you got a deal and so on.

I cold buy from local beekeepers and pay 1/2 that price but was getting all their junk. Plus some of them were selling 4 instead of 5 frames. They had to be fed and coaxed into even being ready for winter.

As for 8 or 10 frame singles, there are super deals to be had coming off Almonds. the beekeeper is taking accelerated depreciation on the woodenware and will start anew. These can be had for or less than the price of a good Nuc. I would advise inspections though. Two things come to mind "let the buyer beware", And "there's a sucker born every minute"

[Occam]

Around here I'm seeing nucs going for around $170-$200. Some seem to charge more for overwinter nucs while others don't. Generally they come in pro-nuc or jester boxes though there are a couple that send them in a wooden nuc box and even one that requires you to bring your own box for transport.

As for full colonies there are a couple beeks I've seen seeking for around $375 for a ten frame box with bottom board, telescoping cover, reducer, and essentially a colony with 2-3 frames they can expand on. No additional deeps or mediums, it's just the one deep box.