238 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Value of a Good Colony in Fall 

 and in Spring. 



Query 859.— What Is a good average col- 

 ony of bees worth in November, and also in 

 the spring ? I allude to bees in box-hives only, 

 as those who have frame hives seldom want 

 to sell their bees.— Tennessee. 



I do not know. — M. Mahin. 



About $1.00.— Will M. Baknum. 



From one . to two dollars. — J. P. H. 

 Brown. 



That depends upon your pocket-book 

 and longing to buy. — Dadant & Son. 



I have bought them for one to two 

 dollars, in the spring. — Jas. A. Stone. 



Locality, demand, and circumstances 

 will govern in such cases. — H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



Nothing in the fall, and $2.00 in the 

 spring ; that is, in my locality. — J. E. 

 Pond. 



In November, $2.50, and $3.50 in 

 the spring, for Italians. — Mks. L. Har- 

 rison. 



Here, in box-hives, in November, 

 $2.00 to $3.00 ; May, $3.00 to $4.00. 

 — J. H. Lakrabee. 



It is impossible to name a uniform 

 price, as their value depends upon the 

 location.— P. H. Elwood. 



In this locality, $1.00 to $1.50 in 

 November, and $1.50 to $3.00 the first 

 of April. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



Two dollars in the fall, $3.00 in the 

 spring, would be a fair price for bees in 

 such hives.— G. M. Doolittle. 



I should say $3.00 to $4.00 in the 

 fall, and $5.00 to $6.00 in the spring, 

 according to strength.— G. L. Tinker. 



Circumstances vary so much that 

 there is no rule. What's the going price 

 in your neighborhood ?— C. C. Miller. 



In fall, $3.00 ; in spring, $5.00, if 

 they are strong and vigorous in both 

 cases. Of course, prices vary with the 

 locality. — A. J. Cook. 



The market price. If there is no mar- 

 ket price established, then all you can 

 get for them from an ordinarily shrewd 

 man. — R. L. Taylor. 



I should be a poor judge of what they 

 should be worth in your locality. Here 

 I would say 50 per cent, less in fall 

 than in spring. — Eugene Secor. 



That depends upon supply and de- 

 mand. Bees in box-hives are worth less 

 the price of the frame hive and cost of 

 work to transfer them into frames. — B. 

 France. 



It must necessarily depend upon the 

 supply and demand, as there is no *' cor- 

 ner " on bees. I used to buy bees in 

 box-hives for $2.50 to $3.00 per colony. 

 — G. W. Demaree. 



I should say $3.00 in the fall, and 

 $4.00 in the spring. This may seem a 

 high price to some, but in comparison 

 with other live stock I consider it very 



low. — C. H. DiBBERN. 



It would be hard to set a price unless 

 acquainted with the surroundings ; so 

 much depends upon pasturage, price of 

 honey, etc. Here, good colonies in the 

 spring, in box-hives, would be worth 

 $2.50 to $3.00.— S. I. Freeborn. 



I don't know what bees would bring 

 in Tennessee, but in most places the 

 price in box-hives would range from 

 $2.00 to $5.00 in the fall, and from 

 $5.00 to $8.00 in the spring, depend- 

 ing upon location, supply and demand. — 

 —Mrs. 0'. N. Heater. 



You ought to know what bees are 

 worth to you better than I can tell you. 

 Add $1.00 to the value of the frame 

 hive, and the sum will be the difference 

 in value of 2 colonies of the same kind 

 of bees, of the same strength, one in 

 frame, the other in box-hive, provided 

 the frame hive has straight, all-worker 

 combs. — James A. Green. 



As supply and demand usually rule 

 the price of nearly every thing, I should 

 think $2.50 about the price of a good 

 colony of black bees in a box-hive in 

 November, and $3.00 in the spring, be- 

 fore swarming time. They are sold here 

 for all sorts of prices. Willie (my son), 

 a few days ago, bought 13 colonies, in 

 boxes, for $13, and has taken out $25 

 worth of nice chunk honey, and trans- 

 ferred them, and still left them plenty 

 to winter on. — Mrs. Jennie Atchley. 



