BEES

Our nuc hives are created from our own stock and our own queens. We make sure the queen is laying and developing a good brood pattern before we sell these. We sell Nucs with either Spring queens or over-wintered queens.

Typically most people that sell Nucs create the Nuc in the Spring from their surviving stock and then add a purchased queen. They let the queen start laying for 2-3 weeks and then sell her. This is a very common practice and there is nothing wrong with it. We create Spring nuc’s the same way except that we use our own spring-raised queens. We believe that purchasing locally produced bees and queens that are adapted to the local climate versus bees from down south gives the beekeeper a much better chance at success.  

Why spend more for a nuc with an overwintered queen? If you buy a Nuc from us with an overwintered queen that is very important and worth the extra money because that queen will be a fall-raised queen from the previous year that has survived the winter and she has several months of established laying patterns. These nucs build up quickly in the spring and can grow into a full double deep hive by early summer.

Please call 606-768-3408 or contact us to place a Nuc order. 

No over-wintered Nucs will be available in 2024.

Spring 2024 nucs will be available in mid-May, depending on weather and our own queen rearing schedule. You are placed on the order list when we receive your deposit not when you order. We take checks only. 

Typical pickup will be early on Saturday mornings.  Bees will be closed up before daylight and we like to make sure bees can get released in 5-6 hours. Special arrangements can be made to pick up Nucs during the week right before dark, we want to make sure most of the foragers have returned.