What to Expect When Buying Bees: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
Beekeeping is a rewarding and fascinating hobby, but for beginners, it often starts with one critical decision: how to buy bees and make sure you get a good, thriving colony. One of the most accessible and practical options is buying bees in the form of a nucleus colony, or "nuc." This guide explores everything you need to know about buying bees in the form of a nucleus, ensuring you’re well-prepared for a successful start to your beekeeping journey.
Understanding Nucleus Colonies
A nucleus colony, or "nuc," is a small, self-contained bee colony, typically comprising 4-6 frames of bees, brood, and stores. When buying bees, a nuc offers a manageable introduction to beekeeping, especially for beginners. Nucs help you gain hands-on experience with a smaller colony that’s easier to inspect and care for compared to a full-sized hive. But buyer beware, it will only be a matter of weeks before your nucleus will transform into a full size colony of bees, so make sure you are ready for this (rather fun) transition.
Advantages Of Buying Bees Starting With A Nucleus Colony
When buying bees, a nucleus colony provides several key benefits over other options like packages or swarms:
Faster Start: Nucs come with established bees, brood, and a laying queen, helping the colony grow and become productive faster. You may even harvest honey in the first year.
Lower Risk: Buying a nuc is generally more affordable than a full hive, making it a less risky investment for new beekeepers.
Ease of Handling: The smaller size of a nuc simplifies management and inspections, which is especially valuable when learning the ropes.
Genetic Benefits: Buying bees from various reputable sources introduces genetic diversity to your apiary, improving colony health and resilience.
What to Look for When Buying Bees
If you're buying bees, particularly a nucleus colony, here’s what to prioritise to ensure a healthy and productive start:
Timing and Availability
The demand for bees is high, so order your nuc early in the season. Many experienced beekeepers sell out quickly, and placing an early order ensures you secure bees from a reputable source. At Black Mountain Honey, we generally sell out of overwintered nucs by Christmas and spring nucs by May. If you are looking to order for 2025, now is the time to place your order to reserve your nucleus colony.
Overwintered vs Spring
When buying bees in the form of a nucleus you are often given a choice of overwintered vs in season nucleus colonies. Both have their respective positives. I'd recommend both as suitable for beginners but you just need to ensure you have the necessary equipment in order to mange them effectively. You can read more about them in this blog post:
Queen Quality
The queen bee is critical to the colony’s success. When buying bees, look for a nuc with an F1 mated queen—Buckfast is an excellent choice due to their desirable traits like gentle temperament and strong productivity. Ensure the queen is marked for easy identification. All of our overwintered nucs are supplied with an F1 Buckfast mated queen. You can read more about our queens here:
Nucleus Container
Some companies sell their nucs (often 5 frame) in a disposable correx nucleus box that services little purpose other than to transport the nuc to your home. At Black Mountain Honey we only sell our nucs in full size poly nucleus boxes as it's better for the environment (can be used again and again - with a lifespan of 40 years), better for the bees and WAY better the post person! Check out my latest blog discussing the differences:
Frame Count and Condition
A good nuc should include 6 frames with a healthy mix of bees, brood, and stores. Avoid nucs with fewer frames or sparsely populated bees. Fully populated frames indicate a robust and thriving colony. A 6 frame nuc is way more valuable than a 5 frame nuc and will get you off to a much better start in the spring. Don't accept nucleus colonies with dark, old and black frames. You want relatively new, clean frames in good structural condition. At Black Mountain Honey, all of the frames that come with ours nucs are less than 12 months old and in perfect structural condition.
Frame Compatibility
Check that the frames in your nuc match your hive setup. In the UK, nucs with National hive DN4 Hoffman self-spacing frames are a popular choice for seamless integration. If you want frames to fit into a Flow Hive, you will need to order Langstroth frames in your nucleus colony.
Disease-Free Status
A healthy nuc is free of diseases like foulbrood and should have been treated to reduce the viral load associated with varroa mites. Ask about the seller’s management practices and confirm that the bees have been inspected for common issues before purchase. Black Mountain Honey is DASH accredited and all nucs are thoroughly checked by a DASH approved beekeeper (Laurence Edwards) prior to dispatch to customers. All of our nucs are treated in Autumn and Winter for varroa mites.
Preparing for Your Bees
Once you’ve ordered your nuc, preparation is key to ensuring your new bees transition smoothly to their permanent home.
Set Up Your Hive: Assemble your hive and ensure it’s in excellent condition, with all components securely fitted.
Choose a Hive Location: Pick a sunny, sheltered, and accessible spot for your bees.
Prepare Food Supplies: Have a feeder and 1:1 sugar syrup ready to support your colony as they settle in.
Gather Equipment: Ensure you have a complete beekeeping suit, gloves, and other essentials for safely working with your new bees.
I would highly recommend watching the video below as it gives a really overview on everything you need to consider prior to buying bees and getting started in beekeeping.
Introducing the Bees to Their New Home
When your nuc arrives, follow these steps to transfer your bees to their hive:
Transport Carefully: Minimise disturbances during transportation to reduce stress on the bees.
Orientation: Place nuc onto hive stand, open entrance and allow bees to orientate.
Transfer Frames: Gently place the frames from the nuc into your hive, maintaining their original orientation.
Provide Feed: Offer 1:1 sugar syrup to support the colony as they draw out comb and establish themselves.
Monitor Progress: Observe the hive entrance for activity but avoid frequent inspections during the initial days.
For further details, check out the video below:
Ongoing Care After Buying Bees
Once your colony is established, consistent care ensures its long-term health and productivity:
Regular Inspections: Check for signs of a healthy queen, brood patterns, and adequate stores.
Pest Management: Monitor for varroa mites and other threats, treating as necessary.
Swarm Control: Stay vigilant for signs of swarming to prevent colony loss.
Honey Harvesting: Harvest honey responsibly, ensuring the bees retain enough for themselves.
Winter Prep: Ensure your colony is well-fed and protected during the colder months.
Expanding Your Apiary
As your beekeeping skills grow, you might consider expanding your apiary by buying bees again or splitting your existing colonies. For trusted nucs with high-quality F1 mated queens, consider suppliers like Black Mountain Honey (er us!), known for disease-free, gentle, and productive bees.
Conclusion
Buying bees is a significant step in your beekeeping journey, and starting with a nucleus colony is one of the best ways to succeed. By understanding what to expect and focusing on quality queens, healthy colonies, and proper preparation, you’ll set the stage for a rewarding and productive experience.
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