Sold Out for the 2026 Season - 2027 Season Orders Start in December
VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygienic) and Italian/Carniolan Cross 5-Frame Nucs
Please see below for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.
Picking Up Your Bees
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 and no shipping damage occurred. 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.
Ordering
To place an order, please give us a call (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 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.
Queen Marking
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.
Education
We schedule a free hands-on familiarization class one evening during the pickups days for each nuc load. We schedule the class on the best forecasted weather night. *This class is a supplement to, not a replacement for, a beginner's beekeeping class.
Discount Price $210 for 2026 season for Payment by Cash, Check, or Money Order
$ 217 for Payment by Card
Additional Discount of $5 per NUC with purchase of 5 or more
3 LB. Italians Packages with Marked Queens
Please see below for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.
Ordering
To place an order, please give us a call (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 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.
Italian Packages
We will have Italian packages available this year with marked queens. These packages are tentatively scheduled to arrive the weekend of April 10th. Bee production schedules are always subject to the weather. Poor production or transport weather can postpone that date.
Discount Price $160 for 2026 season for Payment by Cash, Check, or Money Order
$165 for Payment by Card
Additional Discount of $3 per package with purchase of 5 or more
Nuc Starter Kit
(5-Frame nucs installed in new equipment)
Please see below for the descriptions and common traits of the available types of bees.
Queen Marking
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.
Ordering
To place an order, please give us a call (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 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.
Starter Kit
Starter nucs will include a new wax dipped deluxe bottom board, a new deep wax dipped 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.
Education
We schedule a free hands-on familiarization class one evening during the pickups days for each nuc load. We schedule the class on the best forecasted weather night. *This class is a supplement to, not a replacement for, a beginner's beekeeping class.
$365 for 2026 season for Payment by Cash, Check, or Money Order
$ 377 for Payment by Card
Additional Discount of $5 per NUC with purchase of 5 or more
Queens
Other Providers
We keep a list of queen breeders in our area. If we don't have any available, we will help you find someone who does.
Ordering
To place an order, please give us a call (660) 214-0132. If you have ordered from us before and your contact information has not changed, you may place your order by email.
Queens
We order in a few extra queens with our load of packaged bees each year. These queens ride in the cab with the drivers and arrive in much better shape than those shipped in the mail. We will also have a few extra VSH queens coming in with the VSH Nuc load this year.
Price:
Bee Type Descriptions and Common Traits
VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygienic)
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 Experience
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
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. 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 Experience
We 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 Experience
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 pollination, but with that large population you need to be prepared to feed them if spring comes late. As with other types you do need to monitor their varroa mite levels as high brood production can lead to higher varroa mite numbers.
