In 2012, I will have starter hives (Nucs) for sale for beekeepers in the central Virginia (I am just to the east of Richmond, Va) areas. Typically, demand is high so it is important to get on the list early (click here to sign up for one of my Nuc’s). There is never enough supply to meet all of the demand.
What do you get?
I provide a healthy Nuc that is headed by a young, first year queen from one of my proven lines. You are absolutely going to get 2 to 3 frames of brood (all produced by the young queen) and at least a frame or two of resources. The Nuc you will get from me is going to be too big to live in a Nuc much longer. They need more room, which is when I call the folks on my list to come pick up their bees and put them in a full super.
The queen will be one of my mutts. I have a wide mixture of genetics and let my queens mate in the wild. I don’t care much whether I have Russions or Italians. I only care that I have strong bees that do well in our area and in today’s adverse environmental conditions. I weed out the weak ones.
What do you need to bring when you pick up your bees?
Typically, you are going to need a 10-frame, deep super. I will swap the frames (usually 5) from my Nuc with the frames of foundation in your hive. If you do not bring 10 frames of wax foundation, I add $10 to the cost of the Nuc (and do not take any of your frames.)
What is the cost?
A really hard Winter that wipes out everyone’s hives would change the cost. But, the expectation is for a cost of $125 per Nuc.
How do I get on the list?
Contact me to be put on the list for Nucs, including how many you will want.
What Happens Next?
Once March rolls around, I will start contacting folks on the Nuc list. You are most likely to hear from me in April, when the Nuc production goes into full swing, but a few will receive a call in March. When I contact you, you may have as many as four weeks from my call to when your Nuc will be ready for pick up, when I will contact you one last time.
If you would like to get on my Nuc list, click here to email me with your contact information.
VERY INFORMATIVE AND EASY READING. DO USE REGULAR SUGAR TO FEED THE BEES
If I am feeding bees, I do use regular sugar. My basic strategy is here :
http://beekeeping.varinagardens.com/bee-notes/feeding
I sometimes add a bit of Honey Bee Healthy to the mix as well, although I have no empirical evidence that this helps or hurts any.
I really do not want to feed my bees sugar water – I much prefer for them to have honey, made from real nectar, as I do believe that it contains minerals and other ingredients that are far better for the bees then honey made from sugar syrup. Winter is hard on the bees. I want them to have the best honey available during that time. But, sometimes it is not practical.
do you have any nucs for sale?
Hey Stephen –
I might have a few Nucs for sale this year, but I will only know by mid to late May.
I ended up with more Increase Nucs then I had planned on for this year (by about double) and I ended up catching a bunch of swarms. So, it really depends on how the Nucs that I created fare (if all do well, I will have 6+ Nucs for sale).
Feel free to contact me in early May.
jt
Hi, I am very interested in a nuc in the spring I am ma starting beekeeper, please let me know – I live in Northern Virginia (Oakton) Thanks
Quick question: Beekeeper offering to install a 5 frame deep nuc in my brand new hive this week. I have no other bees and this will be my first try at beekeeping. Do you think these bees can survive the winter.? Should I wait until spring ?Thanks so much.
Hey Mary,
It depends on where you are. If you are in my area (Central Virginia), then the answer is definitely wait until next Spring. This is a horrible time for a new beekeeper to start a new hive from a Nuc. It will take an experienced beekeeper to get them through the Winter and, even then, I believe they have a high risk of perishing.
Better to get your bees in April or May next year. It will save you a lot of heart ache.
good luck!