Bee Hive Frames

You sure can build frames but it isn't worth the bother.
Build your own boxes though by all means. tehy are expensive.
A tip here, do NOT use 8 frame hives. Go for 10 frame or even better the 12 frame which is square.
The 12 frame allows you to alternate the directions of the frames so that each level crosses the other at 90 degrees. There is a large efficiency gain in this. Don't ask why, but it works.
Also there are three depths. Half depth, Full depth, and Ideal which is between the two. Using Ideals is good for another 10% on your yield. 12 frame Ideals are the best setup there is.
Use a Queen Excluder on the brood chamber or you will have brood all through the honey.
Replace the queen every year. You have to find and kill the old queen then drop her back in the hive. The bees will see her and throw the body out, otherwise they will simply kill the new queen. The new queen comes in a small box with mesh on one side and a candy plug in the end that takes 3 days to eat out. The bees will kill her if released right in but after seeing their old queen dead and three days of getting used to the new one they accept her.
The queen lays less eggs as she gets older and her daughter will often lay half as many from day one. Her daughter will lay even less.
Replace every year as a matter of course for high yields and a strong colony.

My father worked for some time as a foreman at the largest beekeeping operation in the southern hemisphere, running 4,000 hives for honey and another 1,000 collecting pollen.
They used to send 200 drums of honey a month to market. 200 litre drums.
What he doesn't know about bees isn't worth knowing.

Sorry for the delay - I thought I had enabled the "automatic notification" option???
Yes I am interested. The shipping is the bummer of course. If you give me your zip (mine is 28443-Hampstead, NC) I can calculate the shipping. If the goods are in the boxes still then that will be a plus otherwise let me know what you would want for packing it up and what you want to sell it all so I can decide.
Just as a side note I am setting up to sell honey & by products for the American Cancer Society and Juvenile diabetes. I will be giving the proceeds to The Jimmy "V" Foundation. It is the only fully self funded Cancer donation group I know of so 100% of the $ goes to research and not to fill the pocket of someone on the dole in the name of a non profit IYKWIM.
This is not to try and get anything cheaper please trust me on that. I am simply stating this fact because if I can save $1.00 by paying you what you are asking it is another $1.00 for the causes. I have been making my own hive equipment and if you look at the frames you will see what is required to make all the parts fit together. I spend countless hours doing this and it makes no sense to do it from a $ standpoint however right now I happen to have the time and I work cheap for charity . I have set up 2 table saws, jointer, planer, 1/2" crown stapler, 1/4" stapler, 2 band saws and on and on. The beekeeping suppliers stuck it to me last year for shipping and "handling" and most people in the hobby know it is BOHICA time if you buy woodenware so I am trying this system out and still look for woodenware for sale.
Thanks again and don't give me a price that is less than you can get somewhere else-it all cost you good $ so get back what you can.
Howard - Hampstead, NC
If you need to call me I am at 910-512-3633

gds said:

Challenger,
yes, I still have the stuff. there was one inquiry, but have not heard back.

I'm in eastern MO. I think the trip or shipping would exceed the value of the equipment.

I have not looked at it recently, I think there is 10-12 boxes with tops and bottoms and most of the boxes have frames. Send me a PM if your interested.

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slurp said:

Could you cut out your own hive frame from some sort of paper with a design? Snowflake style?

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???

justinpcox said:

What do you need nearby? Fields? Forest?
How long does it take to get them going?
How do you get started?

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Bees will respond very well to ordinary flower gardens, orchards, natural flowering ANYTHING including trees and clover pasture ( lovely stuff), apple trees are great, and loads of others.
You will need a hive, of which the bottom box is the Brood Chamber.
Here dweels the Queen, kept out of the Supers by a Queen Excluder.
You need frames which are strung with wire and covered in foundation wax.
The bees will turn this into honey cells.
You will need a nucleus hive to start the colony.
YOu will need a hive tool fo rlifting lids, removing frames stuck inwith wax etc and a smoker to pacify the bees.
A veil and gloves and overalls are good depending on your pain threshold
For harvesting an extractor is quite useful asis an uncapping knife.
You can get away without alot of this stuff though if careful.