Ready? Set! BEES!
Nucs are evenly distributed on our lawn.
It's that time of year again! Just like when Santa comes to town, there's nothing quite as exciting as bringing millions of our favorite little creatures onto the front lawn at Betterbee and preparing them to go to their forever homes. We double- (and sometimes triple-) check to make sure our bees are ready for you, and we like to make sure you are ready for them, too! We've prepared a web page that lists all of our important articles and fun videos about installing new bees into hives, so you can be as ready as possible when it's time to take your bees home.
Most companies, Betterbee included, already have bees available for pre order, and most companies frequently sell out of bees before we begin passing them out to customers. Make sure your order is in place as soon as you know you want to buy bees!
Since we are located in the Northeast, we wait until April to start distribution. At Betterbee, we provide pick-up only service because it's best for the health of our bees, and we're not going to subject them to the stress of shipping just to make a buck. All of that extra confinement and jostling puts more stress on the colony, and we want to give you the best bees possible by handing them directly to you at our store in Greenwich, NY. Now, if you live in the south, you may be able to start beekeeping months earlier than that. And you probably won't want to drive up to NY to get bees from us! But our instructions on getting started will be just as useful for you, even if you source your bees from someone else. Our customers in northern Vermont often have to wait until May to get back into their hives, so they try to collect new bees from us later in the spring. Successful beekeeping requires understanding how the seasons work in your particular region but the steps to getting ready for new bees are the same no matter where you live.
First things first: Will you start with a package or nuc?
A nuc (pronounced “nuke”, since it stands for “nucleus colony”) is a small, starter colony consisting of five-frames and an actively laying queen. Packages include roughly the same number of bees as a nuc, but they do not come with any frames, wax, brood, or bee food. Package bees are confined in a well-ventilated cage with a separately caged-queen and a can of sugar syrup suspended at the top. We encourage you to learn more here before making your final decision.
Regardless of the container they come in, knowing your bees' origin story is important. They should come from a company or bee farmer who follows a health treatment plan and uses modern practices. At Betterbee, our packages come from Wilbanks Apiaries in Claxton, Georgia, and our spring nucs come from Kutik's in South Carolina, but their bees spend much of the year in New York and only “vacation” in the Carolinas. Betterbee makes and sells overwintered nucs from our own apiaries throughout Washington County in New York. These bees have proven themselves hardy through a tough New England winter, and are headed by queens from our own Northern queen breeding program.
Second: Prepare Your Equipment & Apiary
For all three types of starter colonies, there is a rigorous inspection process to assure the bees are healthy and ready for transport. Official state inspection paperwork for all bees is available upon request, and all bees are inspected by Betterbee's Beekeeping team before they leave us.
At Betterbee, we believe that education is the foundation of successful beekeeping. Bee a bee-keeper, not just a bee-haver! Spend the remaining winter months preparing your equipment, your apiary site, and yourself. This article will get you pointed in the right direction. Whether you're working with old equipment or starting fresh, make sure to manage your time and to-do list so that everything is ready before your bees arrive. If you are refurbishing old equipment (or got hand-me-downs from the farmer across the street), make sure to read about these special considerations.
Third: Bringing the Bees Home and Taking Care of Them
Nucs and packages have different installation instructions, and the colonies will initially grow at different rates. We know that people learn differently, so we've written articles and produced videos on both nuc and package installations.
Lastly, at the bottom of our specially designed web page, you'll find helpful tips that will guide you through the next four months of getting your new bees settled. If this feels like a lot of information, it's because it is! Beekeeping is a complex, hands-on agricultural venture. We want you and your bees to succeed. We highly recommend joining your local bee club, finding a mentor, and taking a class (or three) to keep you in-the-know.
Need a little extra support? No matter what stage you're at in your beekeeping journey, Betterbee is here to keep you on track. Each member of our customer service team has beekeeper experience, and they're here to help! Have a question that might stump them? They won't hesitate to connect you with one of our expert beekeepers, or one of Betterbee's three beekeeper owners to make sure you get accurate and useful advice.
