# How much is it worth?



## Andy382 (May 7, 2015)

How much would 2 top bar hives (30 frames) big, 2 years old. 1 full of Italian bees, comb & honey. The other empty be worth when buying from another individual?


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

top bars.... top bars...... they should be paying you to take them off their hands.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

That's negotiable. Basically things are worth whatever you can get someone else to pay you for it today or whatever you are willing to pay for it today. Don't let anyone tell you different.
Ever hear someone refuse to sell something by saying it's worth more to me than to you today?

But seriously I can throw together a top bar hive and 30 bars for about $50 and have change to buy some bees wax and sugar.
The bees are worth whatever they are worth. Keep in mind you're not buying foundations, expensive bottom board, inner, and outer covers and a lot of wood work. Moving it might be a little tricky too. That's a bargaining chip...ask them to move it and listen for the wince.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

This time of yr I wouldn't give more than $150 but that is me


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

The bees are probably not worth much, unless you think they will get through the winter. If you buy the bees this late you are taking all the risk, did the seller already take all the honey too? 
I would look at only the woodenware, 50.00 for materials for each hive, maybe a bit more as well, but I agree with Harley, nothing over 150.00


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

What they are worth and what is a fair price depends on weather you are the seller or buyer!


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

What they are worth is what the seller can get for them. What I would give for them this time of the year is nothing.


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## Sky (Jul 7, 2015)

I'm thinking that $150 might be the deal of the century, or way too much - There are some things we don't know - the TB hives - are they super nice (Cedar, Cypress, Windows, Copper/stainless roof, etc ) with good craftsmanship/construction, or just a bunch of plywood coffins that have been slapped together? these are used hives, so there is some weathering and assorted wear, nails could be rusting, etc - as a buyer, point out everything funky to knock the price down. Just look at these hives as used garden furniture and figure what you are comfortable paying... - at the 2 year mark, you will need to do some maintenance (retighten/replace screws, paint, seal, etc) so calc that in (put your hand on top of one and give a little wiggle, comment on how wobbly they are  )

Listen to Aunt Bettys advice and see if you can get them to move em for ya (that could be a $150 value right there depending on circumstances)

The bees themselves - that's a crap shoot - it's near year end, winter is coming - have most of their stores (Honey) been taken? (you mentioned 30 bars - are they all built out, and how many have honey in them ) ...if so you're looking at a high maintenance colony thru this winter (not a good way to start). Are there Lots of bees (if counting bees is new to you, then what looks like a lot is probably not nearly enough), are they healthy, are they happy?. is it a good queen? how old is she and take a look at the brood pattern - its super important to have a good queen going in the winter if you expect to have bees in the spring - and it's getting late in the season to grow a new one. if your queen is already two+ years old, you're sorta gambling on her expected lifespan and hoping she makes it till spring - that right there is potential heartbreak... 

a couple of details you left out - you said two hives, one has bees - um.... what happened to the bees in the other one? (was it never used or?) are you getting a free colony of hive beetles with the hives? do the bees have any visible health issues? mites, deformed wings, etc.... 
I guess most importantly, why is he getting rid of the hives?.....(does he still have others, or just no longer interested in bees, are the bees mean, other probs?) If he is getting out of the bee hobby, and you are interested in making the buy, make a play for any and all bee related stuff that's around to be thrown in - veils, hive tools, smokers, shims, supers, feeders, extra bars, etc.

If you could hook up with another Beek in your area that could "take a look" at (and in) the hives, they can probably give you a better idea if the purchase you are considering is simply a "money changing hands and the colony is getting a new view type of deal" or if you are flushing your cash for some scrap wood and a pile of dead bees to be discovered in the spring... 

If all is "good", and you are looking at quality equipment, then $150 could be very fair - if all is not well then figure you are buying the hives only and bees may need to be replaced. If you are getting vibes that the seller is withholding info, or being less than straight up, walk away...(you can build a hive and get a small package of bees with a young queen in the spring for about $150) 

Nothing sucks or is more depressing, than staring out the window all winter long at a pair of empty hives.

Not sure if any of this helped or not - don't want to discourage you, and this could be a great deal, just remember, buyer beware....... 

Sky


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## BeeGora (Oct 22, 2013)

If they're in good shape and built well buy the empty one (if it has bars included with it). It's probably not worth more than $70. Clean it up, paint it, seal it good, and wait until next year for bees. By then you may be able to pick up the other one fairly cheap.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

The top bar hives alone are worth $100.00 each, minimum. Yes, they can be built for about $50.00 in parts but the labor in building them is worth something too. The bees, comb and honey? Probably another $150.00. Yes, it is late in the season but even early in the season the $120.00 package you may buy can abscond, the queen might be a drone layer, they might never take off at all and just dwindle and die. There are no guarantees when buying bees. Yes, they might not make it through the winter but the package you buy in spring might not either. The bottom line is this, pay what you are comfortable paying. Questions to ask, have they been treated for mites yet? If not, they need to be. Will the seller be any help mentoring you if you do not have any experience yet? Finally, I got my first two hives of bees in September, 2011. One made it through the winter, the other did not. I never regretted the timing of getting them or the expense. It gave me a strong push and the entire winter to really study what I needed to know going forward.


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## Cabin (Nov 30, 2014)

Andy382 said:


> How much would 2 top bar hives (30 frames) big, 2 years old. 1 full of Italian bees, comb & honey. The other empty be worth when buying from another individual?



Too little information. Are the hives well made or slap together from scrap lumber? Why is the second hive empty after 2 years? Did the owner just not install bees or did the other hive die out?


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## BeeGora (Oct 22, 2013)

dudelt said:


> The top bar hives alone are worth $100.00 each, minimum. .


Based on what? Someone has already said it would depend on what kind of wood it's made from. It could be warped, drafty, rotted, or eaten up on the inside by wax moths. Does it have a viewing window or is it a plain wooden box with holes in it? Does it have a hinged roof or just a flat piece of wood or tin laying across the top? Do the bars have guides on them? Does it come with divider boards? There's too many variables to say what it's really worth.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

BeeGora said:


> Based on what? Someone has already said it would depend on what kind of wood it's made from. It could be warped, drafty, rotted, or eaten up on the inside by wax moths. Does it have a viewing window or is it a plain wooden box with holes in it? Does it have a hinged roof or just a flat piece of wood or tin laying across the top? Do the bars have guides on them? Does it come with divider boards? There's too many variables to say what it's really worth.


All true but the original question states it is a top bar hive and only 2 years old. With that information I am making my best guess estimate. Sure, it could be a pile of garbage with bees infested with mites and foulbrood but I also stated the poster should be "comfortable with what they pay". I would hope a reasonable adult on this forum would be smart enough to look at what they are buying before actually taking possession. Then if there is any doubt, decline the offer to buy. Clearly the original poster is smart enough to start asking questions here to get some ideas on the value. A brand new top bar hive can cost over $400. A used one less...


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## Andy382 (May 7, 2015)

I found the ad on Craigslist & contacted him. He told me what I already stated & we had agreed on $170. He lives almost 2 hours away one way so a 4 hour trip plus load time & gas money. He states the hive with bees is full of bees & honey but didn't send me any pics of the inside just the outside with bees flying around. He said it was made of really good lumber. That's mostly all I know, didn't tell me condition of the bees but I don't think he'd been in the hive with the bees in a while(like years). After reading some of the comments on here I decided it isn't worth the gamble. I will build my own TBH this winter and use my own bees from my 6 langstroth hives that way I know they're not beetle & mite infested. It could have been the deal of a life time but I feel like I'm doing the right thing passing on it. Thanks for all the good advice


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

$170 for good copper roofed, cedar topbar hives with observation windows is a good price. If they are in descent condition.
Bees in the fall aren't worth a lot because they have a 50/50 chance of dying.


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## Andy382 (May 7, 2015)

They didn't have a copper roof or observation window


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Top bar hives are like fish tanks. Not worth much on the used market. I'd inspect the one with bees (if you know what you're looking for) and if they are in good overwintering shape (how are the mites?)... I'd say $150 for the whole ball of wax wouldn't be a bad price. He has "$100" worth of bees and probably $100 in materials if he built them himself. You didn't commission the work so you don't pay for his labor. Plus they are used.

I was "caretaker" for a lady's bee hive for about three months. She decided she didn't want them now and asked if I wanted to buy them. I told her she'd be offended by my offer (I would have given her used prices for the double deep woodenware and that's about it).


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