Installation- Set up

How much do honey bees cost? Where can I get Honey bees? Things to consider

You can’t start beekeeping without bees; these fantastic creatures are the backbone of the venture. Thankfully, they live year to year in most regions if well managed. A new bee colony will require extra care when starting and changes when they become more established.

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Cost of Honey Bees

The cost of honey bees ranges from $0 to $35. A bee package costs between $125 -$200, while nucs range from $200-$250. A full hive ranges from $250-$350. These costs vary depending on the region and the supplier or breeder. Beekeepers are highly advised to start with two colonies to increase their odds. If a honey bee colony dies in winter, you don’t have to start from zero.

Where to Get the Bees

Purchasing colonies local to your region is helpful. You can also buy from local distributors or online suppliers and have them delivered right to your doorstep.

Buying from Local Beekeepers

Most beekeepers prefer to source their colonies from local beekeepers. Firstly, an experienced beekeeper in your region can provide you with valuable information that may be instrumental in your journey. You are also likely to get bees that are overwintered in your region. A colony that has survived winter in your locality has a greater chance of surviving subsequent winters. You will get bees that are adapted to your area.

Local Distributors

Some retailers source large shipments of bee colonies and distribute them to other beekeepers locally. You can make an order online or at a distributor’s physical location. Since deliveries are scheduled in advance, a distributor informs you where and when to pick the bees.

Online Suppliers

If you cannot find bees in your locality or prefer a specific bee stock, you can check shippers online. However, shipping is stressful to the bees. Lack of temperature control during transit and possible delays in shipping causes health risks to the bees. However, if you still looking to buy online, Here are some places to order bee online.

Olivarez Honey Bees
Beekeeping USA
Mountain sweet Honey

Precautions to Take When Ordering Bees Online

  • Try to get bees from a similar climatic region like yours
  • Choose a shipper that offers insurance options since the bees may arrive dead
  • Choose a faster shipping option to reduce the length of bees in transit
  • Track your package and collect it immediately on arrival. 

How to Transport Bees to Your Property

While ferrying a bee package or hive in your car doesn’t have to be risky, it can be tragic if you are not careful enough. You can end up with angry bees in your vehicle that will teach you a lesson.

  • Secure the bee package so that it doesn’t slide around the vehicle
  • Ensure the bee container is securely shut. Also, tape down any opening
  • Avoid leaving the bees locked up in a hot car
  • Since you will not miss a stray bee while ferrying them, you can consider putting a bee package in a breathable mesh bag to reduce the risk of bees buzzing around you.

How to Obtain Honey Bees

A Bee Package

Bee packages are purchased from bee breeders and are the least expensive method of obtaining bees. They are packaged in wooden boxes with a screen on both sides for airflow. Along with thousands of worker bees, there are a few hundred drones and queen bees in a cage. A perforated can with sugar syrup helps to sustain the bees for up to 10 days. The queen in the bee package is usually mated and ready to bring forth a bee population. She is not usually the mother of the bees. It doesn’t include a hive; hence you need to purchase one before bringing in your package. 

It takes some time for a bee package to be established in the hive. Having worker bees of all ages is crucial since they undertake varying roles in a hive. A bee package comprises 2-5 pounds of bees. A pound carries approximately 3500 bees. Since the queen and the bees are strangers, the queen should remain in the cage for a few days. The bees need to accept her first before she is released to lay eggs. The bees also need to build comb for the queen to lay eggs.

How to Install a Package

  • Remove about 5 frames from one end of a brood box
  • Spray a sugar solution lightly on your bee package so the bees will not fly around. They will be busy feeding on the solution. Once they are full, they are a bit calm.
  • Open the bee package, and remove the queen cage and the feeder
  • Inspect whether the queen is well and insert the cage between two centre frames on the brood box
  • Extract the cork from the candy end of the queen cage
  • Spill the bees into the brood box. continue shaking until most of the bees spills into the box
  • Insert the frames back gently, replace the inner and outer cover, and wait for the magic to begin. Within 2-3 days, the bees will feed on the candy and free the queen.

A Nucleus Hive

A nucleus hive is a mini colony that comprises five frames of bees and a queen. Beekeepers create nucs from strong hives, especially those that are planning to swarm. All the stages of growth are represented (eggs, larvae, pupa, and adults)  together with stored pollen and honey. The contents are housed in a nuc box that holds a few frames of a hive. A nuc should be selected from a docile and healthy population.

 A significant benefit of a nuc is that they already have several frames of drawn comb. Nuc colonies are easier to install since they require you only to transfer the frames and bees to your new hive. Even if you start your beekeeping venture with a bee package, it is essential to familiarise yourself with nucs since they are excellent resources on a bee farm. Nucs are more pricey than packages since they require more time and labour on the supplier’s side. While packages can be shipped, nucs are only available locally. However, they expand more rapidly.

How to Install a Nucleus Hive

  • Place the frames with honey and pollen on the edges of the brood box
  • Put the frames in the middle and ensure the queen is in one of them
  • Use other frames from your new hive to fill the empty spaces
  • Replace the honey super, inner and outer covers
  • You can leave the nuc box near the new hive so that the bees that fell off the frames may get their way into the new hive.

Complete Hive

Although this is not a common way of obtaining bees, some beekeepers may want to sell their colonies for some reason. It is pricey since it is well established. Complete hives can be purchased any time of the year. One of the disadvantages of acquiring complete hives is that they may be infested by mites or diseases. Most new beekeepers may not be able to check this. It is advisable to get complete hives from beekeepers from your region since the bees may not adapt well to a different climatic region. A complete hive can also be overwhelming for a new beekeeper due to the volume of the honey bees. They can also be defensive.

Swarms

While the mention of a bee swarm may sound intimidating to a new beekeeper, it is an ideal and free way to get a bee colony. Although it is similar to a package in that they don’t have a home, brood, or food stores, they have some benefits. A swarm originates from a healthy hive and consists of bees and a queen from the same family. Honey bees divide their colonies naturally as a way of propagation. Collecting and installing them into a hive is also easier than a package.  

The bees also tend to be less defensive as they consume honey before leaving their original home. You also get a bee stock that is adapted to your environment. A swarm contains approximately 10,000 to 25000 bees with the potential to grow into a large colony. The downside of a swarm is that you don’t know the temperament of the bees. You can end up with aggressive bees, sick or queenless bees. The queen may get lost in the woods. 

 How to Catch a Swarm

A bee swarm takes time to choose its new home. The scout bees go for house hunting while the swarm clusters on trees, shrubs, houses, etc. It is good to know the swarming season in your region to beat out the competition and seal the deal. Swarming happens in late spring to early summer. While the thought of free bees is motivating, the task can be labour intensive, time-consuming, and risky. There are two ways to capture bee swarms.

  • Using a bait hive or swarm trap
  • Catching them in a transition spot

Using a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap

Beekeepers usually set a few swarm traps near the apiary and use old comb or swarm lure to attract a swarm. The traps will work for you even when you are not around. Once you get a swarm in a bait, you should transfer it into the hive within a few days. Take them to the new hive to ensure that all the foragers are in the hive.

Catching a Transition Swarm(Cluster)

Here is what you need: 

  • A swarm trap
  • Lemongrass oil or another oil to lure the bees
  • Protective clothing
  • Bee brush
  • Pruning shears

When a swarm leaves the mother hive, they cluster on a spot near the hive as the scout bees look for a new home. This is a beekeeper’s golden opportunity to gather the spoil.

You collect bee clusters on tree limbs by cutting the limb gently and shaking it inside a container. This helps to dislodge most of the bees into the container. If on a flat surface, you can use a brush to push them into your container. You then transfer the bees from the container to the hive by shaking them gently towards it.

If the swarm is on a tree branch that is too high to reach or too thick to be cut, you can shake them into the box. While some will fly, many others will fall into the collecting box. It will take some time for them to regroup into the box. When they are on a surface that cannot be shaken or lowered, you can scoop them and put them in a box.

If on the ground, place lemongrass or any other lure in the box and tilt the box sideways to encourage them to move into the box. Ensure you install the swarm soon into the hive to avoid overheating in the box. You may leave the box at the spot for some time to give stranglers and scout bees time to join the swarm.

How do you know the queen is in the collected swarm?

You know the queen is in the box when you see the stray bees streaming into the box. If absent, they will stream out to her by following her pheromones. If this happens, you should allow them to cluster again and repeat the process.

How to help a swarm

  • After installing the swarm in the hive, do not disturb them for a week. They will take about a week to build comb and start raising brood. Bothering them too soon may make them abscond the hive.
  • Reduce the hive entrance
  • Place some obstructions in front of the hive to help them orientate in the new environment.
  • Give them a frame with a bit of brood and nursing bees.

The Best Honey Bees Stock to Buy

There are several bee stocks that you can buy. Some are adapted and can do better in certain climatic conditions. However, receiving disease and pest-free bee stock is more important. 

Types of Bee Stock

Honey bees are classified according to their traits or their place of origin. Common bee races available include Italians, Caucasians, Carniolans, and Russians. Each race has certain traits that make it more desirable for beekeepers.

Italian Bees

Italian bees are considered good honey producers and relatively gentle to work with. They are also excellent foragers but are more vulnerable to pests and diseases and tend to rob other colonies. They start brood rearing early in spring up to late fall. This results in a large bee population throughout the productive seasons. They have a poor orientation and tend to drift to other colonies.

Carniolan Bees

Carniolan bees overwinter well and proliferate fast in spring but are more prone to swarming than other bee stocks. They have a good sense of orientation and don’t rob other colonies.

Caucasian Bees

The Caucasians are considered the gentlest of all bee stocks. They forage at lower temperatures and less favourable conditions than Italians. However, they use large amounts of propolis to fasten comb and seal the openings. They also tend to rob and drift to other colonies but don’t have a swarming tendency. This bee stock possesses a large tongue( proboscis) and tends to harvest nectar from flowers that other bee strains can not reach. Some commercial pollinators prefer it.

Russian Bees

Russian bees are prolific, overwinter well, and are highly resistant to mites. However, they have a high swarming tendency and are not readily available to beekeepers.

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Things to Consider When Purchasing a Bee Stock

It is impossible to get a bee stock with all the qualities you desire. So, you must consider the factors that are the most to you as a beekeeper. Here are some of the factors to consider.

Honey Production

This is a significant factor for most beekeepers. Since their main focus is honey production, they prefer a high-productivity bee stock.

Availability

You should choose a bee stock that is readily available in your region.

Pest and Disease Resistant

While any bee colony may succumb to pest and disease infestation, some can withstand attacks from some diseases better. 

Adaptability

Climatic conditions in your region will play a significant role when deciding which bee strain to rear. While honey bees can live in many environmental conditions, some are more adaptable to cold or scorching needs.

Temperament

Most beekeepers would go for less aggressive and easy-to-manage bees.

Hygienic Behaviours

Good hygienic behaviours in honey bees help to minimise pest and disease infestation in a bee colony. Some hybrids have the VSC( Varroa Sensitive Hygiene) trait. They can detect and remove varroa from the nest without intervention from a beekeeper.

Swarming Tendency

Although swarming is a natural way of honey bee propagation, it means a considerable loss to a beekeeper. A beekeeper will prefer a bee stock with a low swarming tendency.

Robbing Tendency

Robbing in honey bee colonies is when forager bees from other hives steal nectar, honey, or sugar syrup from a hive. This is one way of spreading diseases and pests among colonies. Some bee stocks tend to rob other colonies more than others.

Reproduction Rate

Every beekeeper will prefer a highly prolific bee strain.

Wintering Ability

Beekeepers lose most of their colonies in the cold winter season. Most will prefer a bee strain with better wintering ability. 

 FAQS

When is the best time to place a honey bee order?

Bee suppliers start taking orders in late fall and early winter. It takes months before they are delivered to beekeepers. To get your bees in spring, you should order early in fall. Again, by placing an order early, you can choose the delivery time that is ideal for you.

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