NUCS VS.PACKAGES

Whether you’re just starting out in beekeeping or you simply need more (or new!) bees, two practical purchasing options exist.

- DANIEL JOHNSON

In the book The Fields of Home, author Ralph Moody describes how his grandfather recaptured a lost colony of bees on their Maine farm around 100 years ago using nothing but a smoker, a net, a ladder and some old-fashioned American ingenuity. But Grandfather was an expert beekeeper.

If you're just getting into beekeeping and you lack a mentor who can provide you with an already thriving hive, you'll need to obtain your colonies on your own from an outside source. Or maybe you're looking to expand your current beekeeping operation by experimenting with a new bee breed. And while the idea of rambling through the Maine woods to capture a swarm might seem picturesque, it's not quite practical for the beginner today.

A simpler — and safer! — method is to purchase bees from a reputable source. You'll need to supply the hive supers and other essential beekeeping gear, but in some cases, the bees themselves can be shipped directly to your doorstep. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done and help you determine the method that is right for your situation.

OPTION NO. 1:
BEE PACKAGES

A package is the simplest and least expensive method to bring home your bees. A package is a nifty little screened box, about 8 inches high, 16 inches long and 6 inches wide. It contains nearly 10,000 adult worker bees (weighing about 2 to 4 pounds altogether), a single queen housed in a separate small enclosure and possibly a can of sugar syrup to provide food to the bees while on their travels.