Taking Orders for 2018
Nucs & Package Bees
Taking Orders for 2018
Our Single Hive with Bees SOLD OUT ($300) is an 8 or 10 frame hive body with a fall queen, Frames are a combination of drawn comb with bees, brood, honey (nectar in various stages of ripening), and pollen. Most frames are fully drawn and full. This single hive has a temporary top and bottom for transport only. It is designed for the beekeeper who has some beekeeping experience. For beginners we recommend the Nuc in a hive.
When our bees are finished pollinating almonds in CA in mid March we move them into orange groves. We place a queen excluder between the two hive bodies. After one week we look for the hive body that the queen is laying in. We remove this hive body, put on a temporary transportation top and bottom and deliver these hives to select locations across the southwest. You can meet the truck at the location or if you are not able to pickup on that date a caretaker will hold the hive for you. We are making special arrangements to have a caretaker at each location.
These queens are a fall 2017 queen. It is difficult to get current season queens before May 1st. All queens have bee committed for years by the commercial queen breeders to their package bee production and to major beekeepers. We have had problems in the past getting queens intime to prevent our hives from swarming. By dividing this way we can get deliveries out early in the season. Our queens are installed in the fall which is best for the development of the hive for both fall, winter and spring. Beekeepers should requeen in late summer and fall every year to prevent early spring swarming.
We have taken most of the risk out of developing a hive of bees for you and have insured that the queen is a good laying queen with a good brood pattern.
When installing package bees there is a risk that the bees will act like a swarm and leave the hive after a few days. With the presence of open brood the bees will not leave. You do not need to transfer these bees into any other equipment. This hive will expand on its' own with proper food resources. These hives are delivered with a special top and bottom board for easy transportation with out endangering the hive of bees. When you reach the location where you are setting up your bees just remove these two covers and place on your bottom board and put your top cover on the hive. The frames in this hive have been arranged for optimum hive expansion. NOTE: You will need a second and third super as this is an actively growing hive (depending on food resources and hive management).
Orders are taken by phone: 505-286-4843
(click here to order by email)
We accept major credit cards
4 Frame Nucs
are placed in a 5 frame wooden hive and includes a queen, 4 frames which are a combination of drawn comb with
bees, brood, honey (nectar in various stages of ripening),
and pollen. We have taken the risk
out of installing package bees for you in a nuc and have insured
that the queen is a good laying queen with a good brood pattern.
When installing package bees there is a risk that the bees will
act like a swarm and leave the hive after a few days. With
the presence of open brood the bees will not leave. All
you will need to do is transfer the contents of the nuc to you
your Langstroth equipment. You may also keep your bees in
the nuc for several weeks before transferring.
3 # Packages are shaken from commercial hives and given a 2018 Italian
Queen. Due to recent increases in the cost of package bees
we have had to increase our price to $160.00. We deliver packages to a common meeting
place. We can also arrange for you to pick up packages
from one of our affiliates. Packages are not shipped via UPS or
USPS because of problems with losses. We may be able to
make special delivery arrangements depending on our delivery
routes. If you are new to beekeeping we would recommend
you purchase a 4 frame nuc (listed above). See the reasons why a beginner should
consider a nuc over package bees. We now offer a 2-3 pound
package for $128.00. Please specify size when you order.
Italian Queens have been exclusively light-colored with
many fine qualities: the queens
are
very prolific, known for their rapid spring buildup, and they are very
gentle. Our customers are generally very pleased.
Packaged bees are $160.00 plus
$7.00 for cage deposit. includes 3 or more of
bees (a
good,
fat package), queen, feed, and new cage. We are now offering a 2-3
pound package of bees for $128.00. To send an email for Packaged bees
click
here.
Nucs $250.00 each. Nucs include new queen, 4 frames of drawn comb with bees, brood, honey (nectar in various stages of ripening), pollen and drawn comb.
Note: Presence of pollen on frames is dependant on time of year. Queen will be up to a year old and may or may not be marked. Nucs must be picked up at one of our yards (Albuquerque, Belen, Edgewood or Taos) unless other arrangements are made. Nucs cannot be shipped.
There is nothing to return on our nucs. This nuc is ready to expand into a single hive and is the best insurance to build up quick to make honey for the current season and to successfully overwinter. To fully understand the term perhaps a description of what constitutes a nuc would be helpful. A nuc or nucleus to give it its full title should consist of 3 or 4 frames of bees, brood, both open and sealed, honey and pollen stores and a laying queen of the current year. Often supplied in a box, sometimes made of cardboard.
The nuc will have a laying queen (usually a young queen), several pounds of bees, drawn comb in which the queen is already laying eggs, some honey and pollen stores and is roughly four weeks ahead in development than a package of bees would be. The bee population in a nuc will not decline because new bees are emerging to replace worker bees that die. The hive made up with a nuc will develop much faster than a hive made up with a package of bees. To send an email for Nucs click here.
Queens are (Call for pricing) each. We do not ship queens because of the high losses we are having with the freight companies, but will hand deliver when possible. We are delivering queens based upon a delivery schedule and route. To receive updates on queen delivery schedules send us an email: click here.
Availability of PACKAGED BEES, QUEENS, Nucs and Hives is dependent on WEATHER and other factors which are out of our control.
REFUND POLICY
We do not offer refunds on orders of package bees, nucs or nucs in a hive . If you are not able to pick up your bees or accept delivery we will continue to hold the bees for you in a nuc or a single hive until a time when you can take receipt of them. If you are transferring your order to another person please send us a notice of transfer. Remember that PACKAGED BEES, QUEENS, Nucs and Hives is dependent on WEATHER and other factors which are out of our control.