Buyer Beware | Part 1

In this series of Buyer Beware articles, I share some personal experiences as well as some pitfalls and challenges that new beekeepers that I have come into contact with have experienced.

In this Buyer Beware article, Part I, the focus is on potential questions to ask the seller of the bees that you may be considering purchasing (and to walk away if the answers provided do not reflect good beekeeping practices).

I get asked fairly regularly by people who are starting their beekeeping journey whether a particular advert on Gumtree or Marketplace is a good buy. There are a range of platforms on which bees and hive hardware are sold by reputable beekeepers. There are also less reputable and, quite frankly, some unscrupulous sellers, that use these same platforms.

I will generally follow up and make some discrete enquiries; either to assist the newbee in their decision making or out of general curiosity if the sale information appears questionable. Some of the answers I receive to my questions are astonishing, some are shocking, and others are quite distressing!

Here, I share with you a couple of more recent conversations I have had with sellers from these particular sales platforms.

Beekeeper Gumtree

Me: How old is the queen?

Seller: I don’t know. She can’t be more than 12 months old though.

Me: Oh? Why is that?

Seller: Because I let them swarm to requeen themselves every year.

This beekeeper had run 50 hives for the last 4 years and was selling some of their hives to downsize to a more manageable number.

Assuming that each hive and subsequent colony swarmed (only) once a year over 4 years, this single beekeeper has been responsible for over 700 potential feral colonies being established in our environment over this four year period. This does not include any afterswarms with virgin queens. Nor does it take into account the potential for a hive to swarm multiple times per year. In the region where I am, there are 2 main swarm seasons; one in the Spring, and the other when the Marri (redgum) is flowering in the Summer.

By failing to implement swarm management (reduction) best practices, these swarms will have potentially competed with our native fauna for nesting hollows/spaces. They may also have created problems for the broader community should these swarms have taken up residence in other places such as wall cavities, roof spaces, kid’s cubby houses, service/utility pits, etc…

Next question.

Me: What is your hive brand?

Seller: I don’t know. I’m pretty sure there was a brand on top of the frames when I bought my bees.

Me: No, not the supplier’s brand. Your one.

Seller: Oh. I don’t think I have one then.

Me: [polite spiel on how to become registered].

Granted, this particular beekeeper later phoned me to obtain more information on becoming registered and advice on brood and swarm management. Clearly, the beekeeper wanted to be doing things the right way, they just hadn’t realised what they were.

Here’s another conversation that I had with a seller who had placed their advert on the Facebook Marketplace platform.

Beekeeper Marketplace

Me: How old are the queens?

Seller: I’m not sure.

Me: Ok. When was the last time you requeened your hives then?

Seller: About four years ago.

This meant that this beekeeper had no idea on the age of the queen in the hives that they were selling. The queen could well be second or third generation from the original purchased queen, as a result of swarming or supercedure, which means her genetics were also likely unknown.

Next question.

Me: When was your last inspection?

Seller: Oh. I have never had the state inspectors out here.

Me: No, no. When was the last time ‘you’ inspected?

Seller: Oh, I just lift the lids and if there’s lots of honey I will take it off.

Me: What about your last brood inspection?

Seller: Oh, I hardly ever get into the brood. I just look at the amount of bees under the lid and at the entrance. If I can see that there isn’t the usual amount, then I’ll have a look in the brood box to see what’s going on.

These replies led me to believe that there were no regular brood inspections, swarm management, or biosecurity checks being done and, ultimately, the quality of the hives for sale were, at best, questionable.

Evidence of an unmanaged brood box

Both these conversations resulted in me advising the enquiring newbees to definitely look elsewhere. Not only were both these sellers unregistered beeks, but the hives they were selling could have been in any condition, with the age and genetics of the queens unknown.

The lack of proper brood management could also result in inheriting problem hives.

As a newbee, the last thing you want is to inherit a problematic colony (e.g., diseased, aggressive, failing queen/queenless, etc) through lack of responsible hive management. Nor do you want to be purchasing bees from unregistered beeks (no matter how much of a ‘good deal’ it may seem to be).

Food For Thought

Are you considering purchasing some hives to start your journey? If so, below are some questions you may consider asking the seller. However, be sure to ask as many questions as necessary to adequately inform your decision and create confidence in what you are purchasing.

Importantly, if the seller is not prepared to allow you to inspect the hives before purchase, then I strongly suggest you ‘walk-away’.

Key Questions

These typically revolve around the following 4 focus areas:

Brand registration

Knowledge and implementation of best management practices

Hive hardware

Queen/colony genetics and population.

Example Questions

These may include, but not be limited to:

What is your hive brand?

If the seller does not know the answer to this question then my advice is to walk away immediately. Every registered beekeeper should know what their hive brand is as it should be etched/burned/dremeled into every box on their hives. It is a legal requirement to be registered. I would also walk away if they don’t ask what your hive brand is. Under our biosecurity legislation they must keep a record of your name, address and hive brand (confirmed by reference to the register) for seven years.

Is your brand on the hive hardware?

The beekeeper's hive brand must be etched/burned/dremeled into every box on their hives. This is for traceability purposes and falls under our biosecurity act.

Are you a member of WAAS or BICWA or do you participate in any local beekeeper communities/groups?

Being a member of one or more of these groups can demonstrate a commitment to the beekeeping industry and community. It can also be an indication that the beekeeper is regularly informed of updates within the beekeeping space.

How long have you been a beekeeper and how many hives do you manage?

While not fool-proof, this can give an indication of the experience of the beekeeper. The number of hives will indicate whether the seller is commercial or recreational. This can provide an indication of the management style of the apiary from which you are purchasing your bees - intensive, broad.

How old is the Queen?

When buying a new nuc, the queen should be less than 6 months old. But you also want her at least a month old. There are some queen producers who will harvest a newly mated queen before her first eggs have developed and emerged as adult bees. This means that the queen has not settled into her laying, but more importantly, her progeny as not been assessed for certain traits such as docility, hygiene and production.

Is the Queen marked?

As a new beekeeper (or even a not-so-new beekeeper), it is an advantage to have marked queens. I would expect when buying a nuc with a new queen, that she is marked. If she is not, you can request that she is.

Do you know the Queen’s genetics?

The seller may be able to tell you that she is a Rottnest daughter (good for you!). You need to make sure she is not a swarm queen. Swarming tendencies are in the genetics and this is something, as a responsible beek, that you do not want to promote.

Is all the brood in the colony progeny of the existing queen?

Ensure you are not receiving a colony that has been cobbled together with frames of bees from multiple hives. This could provide a false indication of the strength of the colony and virility of the Queen. I have found this to be a fairly common practice by undesirable swarm catchers. You also need to ensure that the temperament of the colony during your inspection prior to purchase is that of the existing Queen.

What is the temperament of the colony?

Docile genetics is what you are looking for here. There is nothing worse, as a newbee, to be faced with narky bees. The inspection prior to purchasing will confirm the validity of their answer.

Do you run a single or a double brood box and how many honey supers are on the hive?

As a new beekeeper it is much easier to manage a single brood. Knowing the number of honey supers, assuming they are not empty, will indicate the value of the hive.

When did the colony last swarm?

A responsible and attentive beekeeper should know the answer to this question. What you are really looking for is whether the seller practices swarm management or if the bees are left to their own devices and are allowed to swarm. If the colony swarmed recently and is viable, then you know you have a young Queen. However, as a new beekeeper, it is best to have a Queen with low swarm tendencies, so this colony would not be ideal.

What is the ratio of brood frames vs food frames vs empty frames (when purchasing a nuc)?

For a typical 4 frame nuc you should expect to receive 2x brood frames (1/2 to 3/4 capped), 1x frame with food (honey, nectar and pollen), and 1x empty comb/foundation. There should also be a Queen (preferably marked), and enough workers to cover at least 3 frames on both sides.

When was the last time the colony was inspected?

Hopefully the answer here is not too far in the past. You can probably slip in here when the last alcohol wash was done too, as well as what disease management practices they use. This will give you an indication on how competent the seller is with their biosecurity checks.

Ensure they are inspecting the brood regularly, and not just inspecting the honey supers.

When did you last extract honey and how much was left for the bees?

This will be dependent on the season, the management style of the beekeeper, and the genetics of the Queen. Most hobbyist beekeepers in WA will harvest on average 20kg of honey per hive per year. Although I know of one who recently harvested over 100kg from one hive this last season. As a general rule, a responsible beekeeper will always leave 1 frame of honey/nectar for every frame of brood when heading into winter.

What is the age and condition of the hive hardware and how has the hardware been treated?

Ensure you are comfortable with the type of hardware, the age and condition of the hardware, and the treatments used. Untreated recycled materials will not have the same longevity as solid pine with multiple coats of paint. Wax-dipped hardware will last decades. Painted boxes will last years before requiring repainting. Hardware treated with Lanoguard will need reapplication every 6-12 months.

You may also wish to ask about the size of the hardware. Head over to What Type of Hive Should I Get? for further information on this.

In the next Buyer Beware article I will share some experiences of newbees that sought assistance only after having already purchased their hives and some of the challenges they faced.

Helen Humphreys Passionate Beekeeper Trainer | Mentor | Producer

Ready for Buyer Beware Part II? Read it HERE