Equipment reaches you through four channels and they are good
at different things. Knowing which is which saves more money than hunting for
discounts inside any one of them.
Four kinds of supplier
National beekeeping suppliers
Full catalog, consistent dimensions, everything in one order.
The default for hive bodies, frames, foundation and protective
gear. Shipping is the cost that bites, because boxes are bulky and light and priced
by volume. Order the season's equipment at once rather than four times.
Regional and local dealers
Collect in person, no freight, and advice that matches your
climate.
Usually the best answer for anything heavy or bulky, and the place
to buy your first suit so it fits. Often attached to a club.
Packaging and container suppliers
Jars, closures, liners, bands, cases.
A different trade from bee equipment and priced very differently at
volume. Beekeeping suppliers sell jars as an accommodation; container suppliers
sell them as their business, and the gap widens the more you buy.
Other beekeepers
Used equipment, nucs, queens, extractor time.
The cheapest and the riskiest. Used woodenware is fine. Used DRAWN
COMB is not, because comb carries disease and American foulbrood spores survive for
decades. Never buy used comb from a stranger.
What to buy locally
Bees, first of all. A nuc that has overwintered in your climate is worth more
than a package shipped from somewhere warmer, and you can collect it rather than
have it in transit.
Anything you need to try on, anything heavy, and anything you need this week.
Swarm season does not accommodate a five-day delivery.
What to check before a first order
Dimensions and compatibility. Frame and box sizes are broadly
standard and the tolerances are not. Mixing suppliers usually works and
occasionally produces boxes that do not sit square. Buy one of something before you
buy twenty.
Assembled or flat. Flat is much cheaper to ship and is an
evening of gluing and nailing per box. Decide deliberately rather than by
default.
Lead time in spring. Everyone orders at once in March.
Suppliers run out of exactly what you need in the week you need it, and the fix is
to order in winter.
Closure and jar together. Order the closure with the jar from
the same source, or confirm the neck finish matches. A lid that nearly fits is a
leak.
References
University of Georgia Extension.
Honey Bees and Beekeeping (B1045).
extension.uga.eduOklahoma State University Extension.
Beginning Honey Beekeeping Equipment and Associated Costs;
Beekeeping Multiproduct Costs and Break-even Calculations.
extension.okstate.edu 