In article <001401c27fb2$9c94d120$77ac58d8@BusyBeeAcres>, Bob Harrison
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>> If I could afford it at this time I would convert the lot over to the
>> polystyrene and have a big fire of the wooden ones.
>
>We are not fans of the polystyrene hive in the U.S. except for hobby
>beekeepers on permanent locations. They simply do not work in migratory
>beekeeping as they will not  stack. We use four hives to the skid and stack
>four skids high.

Sorry Bob, I just cannot follow that. I use them and I am migratory.
Sure I am not using a four pallet high stack on a truck, but we do
manually stack them three high, in a non palletised load. I see no
reason whatsoever to prevent them being worked on pallets just the same
as wooden hives.
>
>Many sideliners have found out the hard way when they try to sell their
>beehives that the migratory beekeeper will simply not pay money for
>telescoping covers, inner covers and bottom boards. We do not buy what we do
>not use.

Not normally looking to disagree with you here but I think you are being
unduly conservative in your judgement on this. (The first answer that
jumped into my head was 'Tough!')

I, and I bet most people, do not invest in professional kit with the end
object being its sale. The end object is to make a living with it, and
the sale scenario only comes into play when you either fail or give up
or reduce.

Given our crop statistics, I'm afraid that after only 2 seasons we have
covered the entire difference between the assumption of a sale value for
colonies in wooden boxes, and the assumption that the value in
polystyrene is sweet zero. Anything more than two years and you are far
better off, even if the end game is a large bonfire.
>
>If the sideliner had his equipment in polystyrene hives all he has which
>*might* interest me is the 20 frames of bees. I probably would not be
>interested if I had to come up with wooden shells to put his bees in.

See above.
>
>If you put you hives on skids other than industry standards those most
>likely will not be bought
........large snip.........
>as many a new migratory beekeeper has found out.

Where did I advise any US coast to coast operator to move over? I am in
a northern scenario and my longest move is no more than 150 miles. Bees
uplifted in the morning are on their new crop by the middle of the day.
The big advantage of these hives is their warmth. In the situation you
describe, without change tops for travelling (mesh, as we are having
built right now, for a special multi colony stacking arrangement where
the floor of the hive above engages with the screened top to prevent any
movement yet give plentiful ventillation), you would cook the lot. Heat
retention is a doubl;e edged sword. It cuts winter losses dramatically.
It can increase migratory overheating equally dramatically.

>I give friendly advice so you can get the most out of your operation when
>the only possible buyer might be  the local commercial migratory beekeeper.

There is no evidence in Europe to suggest they are any less valuable
than wooden on the second hand market. In some parts, such as
Scandinavia, this market has reversed, and polystyrene hives are now the
thing, and wooden are hard to shift.

If I ever do fully palletise, it will be designed to take the
polystyrene boxes.

--
Murray McGregor