Description
Replacement Queens
There are always a few queens (about 4%) that go wrong. Most colonies release the queen successfully and thrive. We gladly replace queens within the first 7 days for free.
Copy of health certificate available upon request.
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PACKAGE VS NUC
A package is different from a nucleus colony. Packages and nucs are both starter colonies that you could put into your hive.
A package is 2, 3, or 4 pounds of worker bees in a wood and wire cage, with a queen in a separate cage, and a can of sugar syrup. Beekeepers take the package to their apiary, shake the worker bees into their hive, then release the queen. Bees quickly begin foraging outside the hive and building out comb, storing honey, and the queen starts laying eggs. Beekeepers need to feed them sugar syrup because of spring weather fluctuations. We time the packages so that bees are with their new queen long enough to know her smell, but they need to be installed in a hive within 24 hours of the pickup. Otherwise, they begin to die off in the cage.
Package
Our nucleus colonies come on 5 deep frames. They include a queen bee, workers, eggs, drawn comb, larvae, and some pollen and honey stores. They are farther in their progression than packages. When beekeepers buy a nuc, they bring a hive with them–a deep box, lid, some frames, and bottom board–and then move 5 frames from our nuc box into their box.
Nucleus colonies come from active hives, so we transfer them during daylight hours so we can see and most bees are out foraging. Then you would move them from our apiary to yours after dark, when all of the worker bees are in for the day. That way they will stay in the hive while you move them.
The advantage of a nucleus colony is that we help the bees get through the tricky spring weather fluctuations before we sell them to you. That way, there is a greater chance they will thrive/survive.
Nucleus Colony
VIDEO What is a Package?
VIDEO How To Install Packages
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