The following is IMPORTANT information on expectations and must be read before ordering!
How Our Orders Are Filled
Orders will be logged and ultimately filled in the order that we receive them. In order to attempt to be fair to allow equal access by whatever means of ordering people may choose, we are initially splitting our available pre-order quantities between mail-in and credit card orders.
We expect our initial pre-orders to fill quickly. If you plan on pre-ordering via mail, please check back on our website to see posted updates of availability and/or email us before sending in your order to confirm that we are still planning to take pre-orders at that time. Once we receive and log your order, we will send you an email acknowledgement. As we get closer to spring and see how our colonies are doing, we may accept more orders when available. Queen Production UpdatesYou will receive email updates after your order is placed.
|
When Nucs are Ready for PickupCAUTION:
Producing Nucs Is NOT An Exact Science (particularly here in our northern climate) We do not know exactly when the first nucs will be ready. General rule of thumb is to assume early June. Depending where your order is in our pre-order list (determined by receipt of order & payment) your nucs can be ready any time between June or even early July.
Our first nucs in 2015 were not available until the 2nd week of June due to the brutal/late winter weather. We can not rush the process of mother nature. We wait until we have sufficient build-up of bees for splitting and see plenty of drones to give the queens the best chance of being as well-mated, as possible, before we begin producing queens. High quantity drone brood in 2015 was not seen until early May. When we are satisfied with the new queen's laying pattern and production we will begin to release the nucs. As with everything else, this varies by queen, colony and weather. We know that people are anxious for their bees, however, we can't jeopardize the quality of the product that you are paying good money for just to be able to deliver the nucs earlier. If you don't feel that you can or don't want to wait that long for your bees, then perhaps northern-produced nucs are not the way to go for you. |
Is June or July too Late to Start a Nuc?
In our experience is is not if you are committed to feeding your nucs heavily from the time that you receive them until late Fall.
The primary natural nectar flow in our region runs from approximately the 3rd week of April through early June. This ends the typical natural feeding for the year unless you are fortunate to live in an area that has a later fall flow. After the end of the natural nectar flow ends, the bees need fed in order to build-up and do well. Even established colonies often need close monitoring and feeding in the late summer/fall to get ready for winter. This depends on the following factors:
|
We hardly ever have trouble building up colonies before winter but are committed to heavy feeding.
It takes approximately 100 lbs of sugar per colony for them to:
PLEASE NOTE: Not feeding your new colonies enough will often stunt them. Colonies will often shut-down or slow-down the queen's egg-laying because of the dearth and not draw new comb. This is a very energy-intensive process for them. They need sufficient numbers of bees of all ages before the cold weather sets in to:
|
Our products vary from time-to-time, with most things only available seasonally, and some only by pre-ordering. Generally speaking, however, we strive to provide our customers with the following:
You can either order on-line or mail in your order for a lower cash price. Orders get filled on a first come – first served basis and do not get logged until we actually receive the mailed order form complete with valid deposit or the on-line order and payment. (We strive to be fair to everyone and believe this is the best way to do so.)
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. We will do whatever we can to help you out.
Thank you for your interest in Beam’s Bees!
- 5 frame nucleus (nuc)
colonies on deep frames
- 5 frame nucleus (nuc) colonies on medium frames. (very limited supply – typically only produced on special order)
- Waxed or Plastic Nuc Boxes (If needed by customers
because they cannot bring their hive to us for transfer.)
- Honey
We produce and sell very limited quantities of raw honey. (Producing nucs is very energy-intensive for the bees and comes at the expense of producing honey.) Be sure to check with us in advance if you want honey as we are often sold out!
You can either order on-line or mail in your order for a lower cash price. Orders get filled on a first come – first served basis and do not get logged until we actually receive the mailed order form complete with valid deposit or the on-line order and payment. (We strive to be fair to everyone and believe this is the best way to do so.)
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. We will do whatever we can to help you out.
Thank you for your interest in Beam’s Bees!