When we have extras
Queenless
5-Frame Nuc
$175 · $50 deposit holds your slot
Five deep frames of bees, brood, and stores, with no queen. For boosting a colony that's fallen behind, or for giving a queen you already have a colony of her own.
None to book right now
Queenless nucs go on sale when we have extras, with their own pickup days. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when there are some.
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What's in the box
- ·Five deep frames of bees, brood including eggs, and some honey and pollen: a nuc like any other, minus the queen
- ·Standard Langstroth deep frames, so they fit any 8- or 10-frame deep. Plastic foundation; the frames themselves are a mix of wood and plastic.
- ·No queen, by design
- ·Waxed cardboard transport nuc box with yellow entrance plugs
No feeder included. Mite management on our colonies is oxalic acid only — no synthetic miticides ever.
What it's for
A colony's worth of bees, ready to join one.
- Boosting a colony. Combine it with a colony that's small or behind, using the newspaper method: set the nuc's frames in a box on top, with a sheet of newspaper between the two, and the bees chew through and join over a few days.
- A queen of your own. Give it a mated queen, yours or one of ours in season, and it's a nuc.
Plan to do one or the other within a few days of pickup. Left without a queen, the bees will start raising one from the eggs. That can work, but it's slower and less certain than a mated queen. Questions about how to use it? Email [email protected].
Three kinds of nucs
Mid-spring · On sale now
Overwintered nuc $225
The queen that wintered with the colony, and every bee in the box is hers.
From June · On sale now
Spring nuc $225
Made this spring: a young queen from our line, raised and mated this season, already laying.
When we have extras · this page · On sale now
Queenless nuc $175
Bees, brood, and stores with no queen, to boost a colony or give a queen of your own.
Pickup
Queenless nucs go out on pickup days we add when we have extras. Each day is listed above with its town, time window, and how many are available. The exact spot comes with your order confirmation. Bring a way to carry the box upright; the yellow entrance plugs stay in until you get home.
The $50 deposit holds your slot. The balance ($125 per nuc) is charged to the same card 3 days before pickup, so there's nothing to pay on the day. When you arrive, give us the full name on the reservation. We check the reservation list and hand over your nuc.
Hear when queenless nucs are available
Join the waitlist and we'll email you when we have extras to sell.