HOW MUCH TO PAY.
Of course the market, which will ever be governed by supply and demand, must guide you. But to aid you, I will append what at present would be a reasonable schedule of prices almost anywhere in the United States: For box hives, crowded with black bees—Italians would rarely be found in such hives—five dollars per colony is a fair price. For black bees in hives such as you desire to use, eight dollars would be reasonable. For pure Italians in such hives, ten dollars is not too much.
If the person of whom you purchase, will take back the movable hives after you transfer the bees, you can afford to pay five dollars for black bees, and seven dollars for pure Italians. If you purchase in the fall, require 33⅓ per cent, discount on these rates.