Bees are sold in a few different ways, Nucs and Packages are the most common.
A Nuc (short for nucleus colony) is a small colony of bees. It will contain a queen, some brood (baby bees) and food frames along with a frame of foundation or empty comb. They are commonly sold in a temporary box of some kind. Nucs are sold in spring and early summer. Good quality Nucs are set up to grow rapidly into a full sized colony. They should be moved into a full sized hive box soon after getting them home. It is not uncommon to get a bit of honey in the first year with a Nuc. Most beekeepers that sell Nucs run out quickly due to the high demand and short window to produce them. If you find someone selling them, get on the waiting list early.
A package is a box with a queen and bees. No frames, brood, or comb is included, just the bees. Packages are cheaper that Nucs but the bees are starting from scratch. Packages must be moved into full sized equipment ASAP. They should be fed to give them the best chance for making it. Don’t expect any honey the first year but it is possible in some areas.
Packages are developing a bad reputation for survivability. Just like Nucs, the source of the bees is a big factor for success. The beekeeper that is caring for them is the biggest.
We sell Nucs. We start taking orders in January and start scheduling pickups in April. Our Nucs are plastic 5 frames boxes with at least 2 full brood frames, two frames with honey and pollen and a foundation frame or comb. The queen will be laying in her nuc and have been evaluated prior to pickup. They will have a very strong population and ready to start growing. Visit the Contact Us page to get on our nuc list.