Products for sale
If you are interested in nucs or hives, contact me- rkereid@comcast.net
2024 Nuc Info
I'll start a short list on January 1st, but I will not keep a long list as I have in previous years. First come, first served. There will be no deposit in 2024. Contact me at rkereid@comcast.net. Please read all the details on this page concerning the nucleus colonies that we sell. If you have questions contact me.
We will have 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 frame, medium frame nucs and hives for sale in the spring of 2024. We do not have any deep frame colonies. You can use medium frames to start your colony even if you use deeps for brood boxes. Just install them into a medium honey super, if you use them, or if you don't, install them in a deep brood box and eventually move the medium frames out of the hive as the bees fill your brood boxes.
The first nucs that we sell will be in mid April to early May, depending entirely on the weather. The first ones available will be from our overwintered 2023 nucs. Around mid to late May through June we will have some nucs headed by 2024 daughters of Sue Cobey's New World Carniolan line and possibly 2024 daughters of VP Spartan VSH lines. By late May we will begin to have a limited number of nucs with 2024 queens from my own stock.
Each nuc includes a marked queen, worker bees, brood, and consists of a mix of brood on 3 to 4 frames and 1 or 2 frames containing some pollen and honey. Larger colonies may have a slightly higher proportion of honey depending on the time of season. I make my nucs heavy on brood and bees because nectar is usually coming in by the time the nucs are ready. This gives you a quick increase in population which is ideal in the spring build up. Frames may be plastic, or wood with drawn comb from wax or plastic foundation. Each nuc will include at least 4 full frames of bees.
Our nucs are available only after they have built up to adequate strength. You are assured that you will receive a colony that is expanding well. There is no set date as the weather will be different every year. Cold or wet spring weather will mean later pickup dates. Over the past 5 years most of the nucs have been ready over a period from the middle of April to the end of May. I will contact you approximately a few days to a week ahead of pickup time. Also my list is compiled by date, so first come, first served. Later requests will be later pickup. I'll start a limited list on January 1, 2024.
We only sell strong, healthy nucs that show high potential. These are the ones that we would be happy to keep ourselves.
All nucs come in a temporary cardboard or coraplast 5 frame nuc box. Some larger colonies will be installed into your equipment.
2024 Nucleus Colonies
-Overwintered 2023 nucs and nucs with 2024 queens- $185. Contact me about prices for larger colonies.
Additional frames of brood, honey, bees, wooden nuc boxes, misc bee equipment
-Add on to your nuc purchase- Contact me for prices on larger colonies. Additional frames are generally discounted when added to your purchase. Late season nucs and colonies (June and later) are discounted.
-I have several dozen new and used (some are wax dipped) 4 frame wooden nuc boxes for sale. These are used for double nucs in a Palmer style, or resource hive, configuration using a divided 10 frame bottom board and standard 10 frame lid. I have also used them as double queen hives with honey supers above a queen excluder. $6 each, $5 each over quantity of 10.
-New, never used, Mann Lake metal queen excluders $9 each.
-Hot wax dipping your new wooden equipment $5 per piece though I only dip about once per year in March.
-I am open to selling other configurations of hives and bees throughout the season- Contact me with your needs.
Limited numbers of 2024 Queens
Our own queens are open mated at our nuc yards just outside Blacksburg, VA. In 2024 we will graft from our own best queens. I occasionally have extra mated queens from other queenrearers. If I have our queens available in 2024, it will be after the nuc sales. Contact me ahead of time if interested. I do not typically ship queens.
My mating yards are surrounded by 30 - 40 strong production hives, in several yards, within a 2 mile radius. These production hives are our drone producers. This ensures a wide diversity of mating for our queens.
$35 each marked with the correct year's color. Contact me for availability.
Our bees are inspected by Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspectors every spring before sales begin.
- Bottled Honey at Blacksburg (formerly Heavener) Hardware, Eats Natural Foods, Glade Road Growing, Smithfield Plantation, and Annie Kay's Main St Market, all in Blacksburg, VA, and Cottage Farm General Store in Cambria.
- Bees wax and Propolis (contact me).
- Queens occasionally after the spring nucs are sold (see below).
- Nucs and hives in season from mid April through mid June depending on weather and availability (see below).
- Some used woodenware (mostly medium 5 frame nuc equipment) and occasionally drawn comb.
If you are interested in nucs or hives, contact me- rkereid@comcast.net
2024 Nuc Info
I'll start a short list on January 1st, but I will not keep a long list as I have in previous years. First come, first served. There will be no deposit in 2024. Contact me at rkereid@comcast.net. Please read all the details on this page concerning the nucleus colonies that we sell. If you have questions contact me.
We will have 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 frame, medium frame nucs and hives for sale in the spring of 2024. We do not have any deep frame colonies. You can use medium frames to start your colony even if you use deeps for brood boxes. Just install them into a medium honey super, if you use them, or if you don't, install them in a deep brood box and eventually move the medium frames out of the hive as the bees fill your brood boxes.
The first nucs that we sell will be in mid April to early May, depending entirely on the weather. The first ones available will be from our overwintered 2023 nucs. Around mid to late May through June we will have some nucs headed by 2024 daughters of Sue Cobey's New World Carniolan line and possibly 2024 daughters of VP Spartan VSH lines. By late May we will begin to have a limited number of nucs with 2024 queens from my own stock.
Each nuc includes a marked queen, worker bees, brood, and consists of a mix of brood on 3 to 4 frames and 1 or 2 frames containing some pollen and honey. Larger colonies may have a slightly higher proportion of honey depending on the time of season. I make my nucs heavy on brood and bees because nectar is usually coming in by the time the nucs are ready. This gives you a quick increase in population which is ideal in the spring build up. Frames may be plastic, or wood with drawn comb from wax or plastic foundation. Each nuc will include at least 4 full frames of bees.
Our nucs are available only after they have built up to adequate strength. You are assured that you will receive a colony that is expanding well. There is no set date as the weather will be different every year. Cold or wet spring weather will mean later pickup dates. Over the past 5 years most of the nucs have been ready over a period from the middle of April to the end of May. I will contact you approximately a few days to a week ahead of pickup time. Also my list is compiled by date, so first come, first served. Later requests will be later pickup. I'll start a limited list on January 1, 2024.
We only sell strong, healthy nucs that show high potential. These are the ones that we would be happy to keep ourselves.
All nucs come in a temporary cardboard or coraplast 5 frame nuc box. Some larger colonies will be installed into your equipment.
2024 Nucleus Colonies
-Overwintered 2023 nucs and nucs with 2024 queens- $185. Contact me about prices for larger colonies.
Additional frames of brood, honey, bees, wooden nuc boxes, misc bee equipment
-Add on to your nuc purchase- Contact me for prices on larger colonies. Additional frames are generally discounted when added to your purchase. Late season nucs and colonies (June and later) are discounted.
-I have several dozen new and used (some are wax dipped) 4 frame wooden nuc boxes for sale. These are used for double nucs in a Palmer style, or resource hive, configuration using a divided 10 frame bottom board and standard 10 frame lid. I have also used them as double queen hives with honey supers above a queen excluder. $6 each, $5 each over quantity of 10.
-New, never used, Mann Lake metal queen excluders $9 each.
-Hot wax dipping your new wooden equipment $5 per piece though I only dip about once per year in March.
-I am open to selling other configurations of hives and bees throughout the season- Contact me with your needs.
Limited numbers of 2024 Queens
Our own queens are open mated at our nuc yards just outside Blacksburg, VA. In 2024 we will graft from our own best queens. I occasionally have extra mated queens from other queenrearers. If I have our queens available in 2024, it will be after the nuc sales. Contact me ahead of time if interested. I do not typically ship queens.
My mating yards are surrounded by 30 - 40 strong production hives, in several yards, within a 2 mile radius. These production hives are our drone producers. This ensures a wide diversity of mating for our queens.
$35 each marked with the correct year's color. Contact me for availability.
Our bees are inspected by Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspectors every spring before sales begin.
