I got one of my very first hives from a lady beekeeper called Greta whom I met when visiting Peter (who was the beekeeper who originally taught me the fundamentals of beekeeping). Greta had a spare hive of bees – and she said she would give them to me if I could look after them – and that she would also deliver them to me – the next day! So the following day she turned up in her car with her son – both with veils on! They had come 10 miles with the bees in the back of the car- with no block over the entrance! Her son said the bees got less stressed if they travelled without an entrance block. Of the tens of thousands of bees in the hive, not one had flown out during the journey!
The tradition is that you shouldn’t sell bees – but you can sell the equipment (frames, boxes) that they are housed in. You can also barter – if you must. To keep to this tradition and in appreciation for Greta’s kindness for giving me a hive in June, I gave her a silver spoon! She was very pleased!
See: https://beelore.com/2007/12/13/the-value-of-a-swarm-of-bees/
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