Where Do I get my Bees?
There are four general ways to begin a colony of bees. Getting Honey Bees There are four general ways to begin a colony of bees. Start with a package of bees. Start with a “nuc” hive. Start with an established hive. Start with a wild swarm Collect an existing wild hive (an extraction) not recommended
Getting Honey Bees Start with a package of bees. Sold by “big commercial beekeeping” operations such R.Weaver in Navasota Generally cost ~$100-$120 *** The package of bees includes a queen & ~3lbs of worker bees (~2500 bees per pound) This was last year’s prices. I have heard they have gone up – A LOT!
Getting Honey Bees Advantages of a Package of Bees Reliable source – usually come with some sort of short term guarantee You know what kind of bees you’re getting (not Africanized) You get them when you’re ready for them Disadvantage – The bees have to build comb before they can store honey. Building comb takes a LOT of resources Roughly 8 lbs of honey (that the bees eat) to make 1 lb of wax. Disadvantages of a Package of Bees They take longer to develop into a productive hive. You probably will NOT collect honey from them the first year… You usually have to order them very early (Nov/Dec).
Getting Honey Bees Start with a “nuc” hive. (short for “nucleus”) Cost is ~$200-$250 ~5-6 lbs of bees It will contain at least two or three frames of capped brood (means the queen is definitely already laying eggs) The nuc will have drawn comb rather than foundation.
Getting Honey Bees Advantages of a nucleus hive. It is already a miniature hive with a laying queen and brood. The bee population is growing because new bees are being added to the population every day. Bees have already “drawn comb” onto frames (this step can take bees a while to accomplish) This hive should produce at least some harvest-able honey the first year. Less likely to “abscond” (just up and leave). Disadvantages of a nucleus hive More expensive Not always sure how old the queen is
Getting Honey Bees Starting with an established hive. This is a fully developed colony of up to 50,000 bees The hive will contain drawn comb, some honey reserves, and a several frames of brood & larvae. The hive will be most expensive if the equipment is “like new” Prices vary according to condition of equipment. Generally price will be $300 - $500
Getting Honey Bees Advantages of an established hive. This hive should produce a good crop of honey the first year. It could be split into two hives if it is strong enough (if you’re experienced enough for that…). Disadvantages of an established hive Because this is an already mature hive, the beekeeper will not be able to “learn as they grow”. Management of this hive will differ from other hives started with smaller populations – you will be on a quicker timeline. It may swarm early in the bee season. It will require honey supers quickly in the spring. Could come with hive beetles, wax moths, mites, or other problems of established colonies.
Getting Honey Bees Start with a swarm. What is a “swarm”? It is a collection of bees (queen & workers) that have left their previous colony and are searching for a new home. It is natural for a hive of bees to swarm. This occurs in the months of April, May, June and even later. A swarm means “no comb” The old colony now raises a new queen from one of the eggs. This is how bees multiply and grow as a species. Swarms a generally MUCH “nicer” than bees in a colony. After all, they don’t have honey or eggs to defend.
Getting Honey Bees Advantages of starting with a swarm The bees are free! Can be relatively easy to collect (clip or shake the tree branch and drop them into a hive box) Disadvantages of a swarm of bees Timing is very tricky. Swarms usually only stay in one spot for at most 2 days. You might wait an entire year and not catch one You have no control over genetics (type of bees) you are getting… ie. they might be Africanized. Now that we have the bees, we have to give them somewhere to live…. Change of subject… This is a VERY likely break point between classes!