Any novice beekeeper is interested in the question of how much a family of working bees costs, because the payback of the future enterprise depends on this factor.
The cost of a bee colony
Before purchasing a good bee swarm, it is necessary to study all the offers on the market with average prices for bees. It is advisable to purchase bees living near an existing apiary. This point is due to the fact that the transportation of families is associated with certain risks of loss. There are times when workers die during transportation to a new habitat.
But, when there are no offers in a particular region, then it is advisable to go in search of families in other regions, to see there how much the forest workers cost there.
average price bee communities in Russia is 5 thousand rubles. Rates may vary in each specific region. One bee package costs the beekeeper 3 thousand rubles. In case of failure, the cost of the loss will be less expensive.
Features of buying a family
Before deciding to breed bees, find out how much it costs, it is advisable to find out some of the features of the acquisition. These include:
- It is advisable to engage in the acquisition after a clearing flight, at this time it is possible to objectively assess the condition of the forest workers. The optimal time for this procedure is late April – early May;
- It is advisable to select modern hives in excellent condition. During the purchase, a thorough inspection is carried out with the disclosure of the honeycomb. They should be pure light brown in color, the cells should be regular in shape;
- A healthy bee family takes 5-6 frames, they contain fertilized larvae and insects of different ages;
- The main parameter of the quality of the swarm is the stock of honey in the hive with a volume of at least 5 kg.
Before you begin to find out how much the chosen hive costs, you need to make sure that the insects have successfully survived the winter, they vigorously leave their old home, clearing themselves of the feces accumulated over the winter. Weak and sluggishly moving bees indicate that they suffered a disease during wintering. The main thing when buying hives with bees is the obligatory presence of a fertile queen. The young female lays eggs in continuous circles, if this element is absent in the family, then, most likely, the uterus is old. It is also not recommended to take a swarm of bees in which the queen did not drive out the drones in the cool autumn.
Bee packages
Novice beekeepers have questions about what is better to buy – a full-fledged swarm or bee packages, how much does a breeding kit cost? Average prices for one swarm of bees start from 5 thousand rubles, for a bee package you need to pay 3 thousand rubles. The results of wintering can affect the cost of the family, a dysfunctional wintering can cause an increase in prices.
Season of purchase
The optimal purchasing season is the end of spring. The exact dates vary from region to region, namely:
- The best time for such a purchase in the Moscow region is May 7-10;
- In the Vitebsk region, purchasing a package is better – May 15-20;
- In the Vologda region – May 8-12.
At the same time, it is necessary to plan the period for purchasing the package in such a way that at least 1.5 months should pass from the purchase to the main bribe. This is the time during which the glass unit will develop and bring the first life-giving honey.
Important!
21 days is enough for a packet to triple. If this does not happen, then this indicates a disease of the bees or a defective uterus.
How much is a family of bees with a hive
You can save money by purchasing a ready-made hive with bees. How much does a bee set like this cost? Average prices for a family with a hive start at 4 thousand rubles.
Reference!
The cost of a family with a hive decreases with the arrival of a hot summer.
On average, you will have to pay up to 6 thousand rubles for a full-fledged family.
Transportation
After acquiring a family in another region, the beekeeper needs to transport insects with minimal losses. For everything to be as successful as possible, you need to choose the right time to purchase a hive. At this time, the bees should be vigorous, not hibernating. The optimal time for this is the beginning of a cool autumn or early spring.
A special danger is fraught with the move of the bee colony at the end of wintering, when the inhabitants of the hives accumulate a large amount of feces, so the move is allowed as a last resort.
Knowing the characteristics and behavior of insects during transportation, the beekeeper will be able to plan the optimal time for transportation, it is better to do it during the first flight of bees in early spring. You can change the location of the hive using any transport; for this, experienced beekeepers use carts or light trailers.
