offer for bees.

[biglongdarren]

Hey i have a good friend who is giving up keeping bees,
she has two cedar hives and supers, one full of bees and another with a virgin waiting to get mated, a empty six frame nuc, and smoker and a few other bits and bobs,

because i have helped her out over the years she has given me the first chance to buy it all off her,
she has no idea what all this is worth second hand and has asked me to make her an offer,
what would be reasonable for both of us??
Darren

 

[JohnRoss]

I would say £500 for the lot is fair. Anyone I know?

 

[Heather]

 

[biglongdarren]

A little from Banbridge john. don't think you have ever met her.

 

[itma]

Hey i have a good friend who is giving up keeping bees,
she has two cedar hives and supers, one full of bees and another with a virgin waiting to get mated, a empty six frame nuc, and smoker and a few other bits and bobs,

because i have helped her out over the years she has given me the first chance to buy it all off her,
she has no idea what all this is worth second hand and has asked me to make her an offer,
what would be reasonable for both of us??
Darren

Dunno about prices on your island, but £500 seems very generous to me.

One used (how old?) cedar national (how many supers? - two? with honey included? - probably not) with bees, but near the end of the season rather than the start … £250 ish seems more than fair.
Used cedar National with incomplete colony … £100?
Used 6 frame nuc (Paynes £31 new), used smoker (not much) and "a few other bits and bobs". Does that add up to £50?
If your "help" over the years has been unpaid and valuable, I'd think £400 seems a more reasonable starting point, unless there is more there than you have indicated.

 

[biglongdarren]

one cedar national with this years queen and stuffed with bees, one cedar national with a queen waiting to get mated, maybe with 3 supers between them, i have been doing most full inspections for her lately and she has already given me a three frame nuc of bees already for free.
i have up on 20 hives myself now and in no real need for any more bees so unless i get them at silly money i might let somebody else buy them.

Darren

 

[biglongdarren]

i was thinking more around the £200 mark, after all there no guarantee that the bees will be living come the spring.

Darren

 

[Teemore]

Darren, I'll text you with a guy's details who might be interested if you decline to purchase.

 

[itma]

i was thinking more around the £200 mark, after all there no guarantee that the bees will be living come the spring.

Darren

Sounds a little cheap, but an offer of £250 shouldn't cause offence.

 

[Pete D]

You could ask her what price a beekeeping mentor or buddy should charge per hour . . . .

If she is a good friend you will not want to offend her and likewise her you.
Ask her what she would advertise them for as asking around you have been advised prices from x to y.
Plenty of bees around this year, nucs now very cheap or free (£40 and just given a couple away myself for empty frames in return) and second hand hives are really only worth £50 each when you consider brand new with all frames and wax are only £120-150 for a basic or perfectly good second.


Answer £200- 250, better as a freebie for all the help

£140 for 3 from Charlie on the for sale page

 

[biglongdarren]

i bought them myself for £200, was 5 supers along with them in total and two are full of honey, also half bee suit, smoker and hive tool and a very large cardboard box full of frames and foundation to make up, dropped the hive with the laying queen off at the heather with the rest of my hives on the way home last night.

Darren.