VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygienic
and
Italian/Carniolan Cross 5-Frame Nucs
$200 (Payment by Cash, Check ,or
Money Order)
$207 (Payment by Credit Card)
**Please see below for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.**
We are now offering queen marking for $10 on a limited number of nucs on each load. Due to the additional time and rechecks needed when marking queens. NUCs with marked queens will not be available until the 2nd pickup day for each load.
Each nuc is inspected by the producers before shipping. We re-inspect each nuc before you pick it up to ensure it meets our quality standards. We schedule nuc pickups in the early morning or late evening so the nucs can be closed up when the foragers are all back at the hive, and the nucs can travel to their new home in the coolest part of the day.
To place an order, please give us a call at (660) 214-0132. If you have ordered from us before and your contact information has not changed, you may place your order by email.
Orders are not confirmed until full payment is received. Bees are the only item that requires pre-payment. You will not get a refund if you fail to pick up your bees.
You can schedule a free hands-on familiarization class with an evening NUC pickup. *This class is a supplement to, not a replacement for, a beginner's beekeeping class.
VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygienic)
and
Italian/Carniolan Cross Starter Kits.
(5-Frame nucs installed in new equipment)
$355 (Payment by Cash, Check, or Money Order), $366 (Payment by Credit Card)
Starter nucs will include a new painted deluxe bottom board, a new deep painted hive body, 5 new assembled frames with foundation (the other 5 will be from the nuc), a new reversible notched inner cover, a new deluxe telescoping cover, a ratchet strap for transport, and a 5-frame nuc already installed in the equipment. This is a great option, if you may need a few extra days to pick up your bees. See our "Bee and Hive Kit Specials page" if you need a complete hive kit or a complete beginner's kit.
**Please see below for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.**
We are now offering queen marking for $10 on a limited number of nucs on each load. Due to the additional time and rechecks needed when marking queens. NUCs with marked queens will not be available until the 2nd pickup day for each load.
To place an order, please give us a call at (660) 214-0132. If you have ordered from us before and your contact information has not changed, you may place your order by email.
Orders are not confirmed until full payment is received. Bees are the only item that requires pre-payment. You will not get a refund if you fail to pick up your bees.
3 LBS. PACKAGES: Italian, Carniolan, and BUCKFAST Available - Packages are sold out for 2024 -we do still have some 5-frame nucs available.
$160 (Payment by Cash, Check, or Money Order), $165 (Payment by Credit Card)
We will have Italian and Carniolan packages available again this year. This year our supplier is again offering Buckfast packages. Packaged bee arrival is usually planned for early April if the weather allows. We have used this supplier for several years and the bees have always arrived in great shape on climate-controlled trucks. We will note everyone's preference for either Italians or Carniolans, but we can not guarantee which you will receive. Most years we are able to get everyone, except the very late orders, their preference. The supplier has said getting enough Buckfast bees to cover all orders should not be a problem. Buckfast bees are known for rapid spring buildup and are always ready to ship, even on the earliest loads.
**See next section for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.**
To place an order, please give us a call at (660) 214-0132. If you have ordered from us before and your contact information has not changed, you may place your order by email.
Orders are not confirmed until full payment is received. Bees are the only item that requires pre-payment. You will not get a refund if you fail to pick up your bees.
.
Options for Queens
VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygienic - Currently Sold Out for 2024
We are excited this year to be able to offer VSH Nucs. The queens in these nucs will be the F1 (first generation) daughters of a artificially inseminated VSH breeder queens. The breeder queens are tested by the queen breeder to insure VSH traits.
Varroa Sensitive Hygienic honey bees are specially bred for their natural resistance to Varroa mites, the number one cause of hive loss. These bees detect and remove Varroa mite-infested brood cells, promoting hive health and reducing the need for chemical treatments. Their resistance leads to stronger, more productive hives and sustainable beekeeping practices. Although VSH nucs are much better at controlling mite populations, testing for varroa mites and treating, if needed, is still recommended.
Our personal experience with VSH bees: We have been very happy with the VSH hives we currently have in our own bee yards and will be adding more VSH stock this year. Their mite counts are lower and sometimes zero. we have also found them to be good honey producers.
Italian/Carniolan Cross
Our Italian/Carniolan Cross NUCs should arrive in early May. This cross has been a favorite with many of our customers over the last several years. The cross has the gentle nature that is common to both Italians and Carniolans and they are good honey producers. The weather is usually improving with a better nectar flow when this load arrives. This can be an advantage if you are starting brand new hives.
Our personal experience with Italian/Carniolan Cross bees: I have enjoyed working with these crosses. They are gentle, productive, and hardy. The queens we have had tend to stay productive longer than others.
Italians
Italian bees are known for their gentle and docile temperament, making them a popular choice for beekeepers. They tend to be less aggressive and are generally easy to work with. Italian bees are also excellent honey producers. They have a strong foraging instinct leading to high honey yields for beekeepers. Italian queens are also known for their prolific egg-laying, resulting in a large population of worker bees.
Our personal experience with Italian bees: Italians are almost always easy to work with. I like to use Italian bees to make nucs as they tend to be more accepting of new queens. They over winter in a larger cluster so are useful for early spring peach pollination. You do need to monitor their varroa mite levels as high brood production can lead to higher varroa mite numbers.
Carniolans
Carniolan bees are prized for their gentle and non-aggressive behavior. Carniolan queens are known for their ability to increase egg-laying and brood production quickly in response to nectar and pollen availability. This trait allows colonies to grow rapidly during favorable conditions..
Carniolans are also considered more frugal with their winter stores, meaning they tend to consume less honey during the winter months. Carniolan colonies are known for their excellent ability to overwinter successfully in cold or variable climates.
Carniolan bees tend to swarm less frequently than others making them more suitable for beekeepers who want to minimize colony losses due to swarming.
Our personal experience with Carniolan bees: Carniolans are easy to work with. They are very conservative with their winter stores and overwinter in a smaller cluster. They can often be found sitll in the bottom box in the spring within an almost full deep of honey on top.
Buckfast
Buckfast bees were developed by Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey in the United Kingdom. These bees are known for being extremely docile and easy to work with. Quote from one of last years customers: "They won't even look at you".
Brother Adam selectively bred Buckfast bees for resistance to Tracheal mites. Buckfast bees may also show resistance to some honey bee diseases
Buckfast queens are prolific egg layers, which results in strong colonies with large populations of worker bees. They also have a very low tendency to swarm. These traits help make them very good honey producers.
Our personal experience with Buckfast bees: They are very calm. I received a call from one of our customers from last year saying how much she liked them . Quote: "They won't even look at you!"
The picture above is of a colony that I started last year with a small split and a Buckfast queen. The other Buckfast queen I used also did well, but not to this extreme.
Crooked Hill Beekeeping - (660) 214-0132 georges@chbeekeeping.com
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