Author Topic: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen  (Read 1404 times)

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Offline Jen

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Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« on: August 20, 2017, 04:28:16 pm »
A friend/beek needs to boost her single medium hive with brood and bees. Queen still there, but hive dwindling. She asked if she could buy a couple med frames of brood with bees to help get the hive going again. She does not want to kill the queen and combine with another hive.

My frames are wedge wood wired wax. How much can I ask for these two frames?
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Offline Perry

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2017, 05:46:36 pm »
Guessing maybe $15 a frame? (Mediums).
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2017, 06:27:31 pm »
Why is it dwindling if there is a queen? needed to be fed? Poor layer? disease? combine and split in the spring.
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2017, 07:20:27 pm »
I am with Apis on this one.  I would find out why the hive is struggling.  Boosting it with frames of brood may be throwing good money after bad.  I personally wouldn't sell a frame of brood and bees for less than $20 a frame.  In the spring 2 frames of brood and a queen will make up a nuc once you add a couple frames of pollen, honey, and empty frame for her to lay.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2017, 10:58:09 pm »
Um well, I asked a question before here on the forum regarding this friend that is Buddhist, they practice 'not killing anything.'

I completely respect that.

I'm trying to come up with an idea to help the hive along with out killing the queen.

 :eusa_think: What if... I took the queen... then she can combine the bees with her other hive. I can then make a nuc here at my house and winter it for her? I had good luck wintering my 5 nucs last winter.

Now, I know you men look at things differently... I don't know if I'm mixing apples with oranges
 
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2017, 11:08:10 pm »
Is this one of the nucs you sold.  If it is and it never took off I would recommend doing what ever you can to get the hive up and running if its a queen issue.  You could swap out the queen and bring the other queen home pinch her when you get home not letting them know you sent her to the gallows.  Make sure there is not something that is going on that is not the queens fault before you make the changes
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Offline Jen

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2017, 11:19:14 pm »
Yes, that is one of the points, it is one of two nucs I sold to her. I think I'll go over and take a look inside that nuc.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2017, 12:33:52 am »
jen.....
sometimes keeping bees brings hard lessons to learn.  we all have our ways, we all have different practices and different beliefs.  to let a hive suffer from the lack of a producing queen just because we believe in not killing anything will make the hive suffer and possibly die off, not us.  i just think this person needs to learn that snuffing a queen that is not viable is a good thing, not a bad thing irregardless of religious beliefs and when it comes to insects in a box it's not about our own religious beliefs or other practices we believe in. we all need  to look beyond ourselves.  just saying.  no different than those who want to keep bees 'organically' or without treatment for mites; and when the bees die off.........are we just being stubborn and hardheaded? sticking to something just because?  sorry about the small 'soapbox', but honey bees are 'livestock' and getting more expensive as are queens.  if you want to practice beekeeping, or be a beekeeper, then we must learn to do what we need to do to care for them and practice the 'art' or be a true keeper of  keeping bees........

beekeeper or beehaver..........? just saying. 

i get what you are saying, but what does this person learn in keeping bees?  you are the teacher jen, educate, if they are not willing to listen and learn then i would not sell them my own frames. it has never been easy for me to squish a queen, but she is the life of the hive and without a good queen the hive will dwindle and die off.

perhaps as others have said, maybe it is not the queen, maybe another issue?  take a look see, let us know!
hope i made some sense with what i said?
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Offline Jen

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2017, 01:29:24 am »
Riverbee! you are a treasure! Ya know what? I sat down to read your post and 'Stairway To Heaven' Zepplin came on Pandora LOL

I'm going to go over to her house and check this nuc. She will let me do that.

My plan is to have a nuc box set up with a couple frames of bees/brood, food, frame of wax like Rrat suggested. Introduce her from a cage. If she starts laying in that rich environment then she's a winner and I can give that nuc back to my friend, might even winter it for her. If queen still isn't laying, I'll consider her a dink and replace the brood frames back where they came from.

I'm comfortable with this plan. Thank you Riverbee and Riverrat .. truly  ;) 8)
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2017, 09:57:54 pm »
jen........lol, treasure? thanks for the compliment, just speaking from the heart.  also, don't want to give me a big head like perry's......... :D :D :laugh:

what's that line in the zepplin tune about 'may queens'?  great tune btw. 

sounds like you have a great plan going jen!  give us an update, i would be interested in how things turn out for you and for your friend!
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Offline rober

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Re: Price Of A Medium Frame Of Brood And Bees No Queen
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2017, 08:58:47 am »
you might tell your friend that by doing nothing they are likely killing the entire hive. even the Tibetans had an army