Buying your first bees can be a daunting experience. Having just completed the beginners’ course you may be keen to get started keeping bees this year but will be faced with seeking bees for sale and finding them at a range of different prices. They may be described using terms that you are not familiar with.

This article is an attempt to help you through the process.

A selection of terms used:

Nucleus: This is small colony of bees usually on 6 frames and contained in a ‘nuc box’ which may be made of polystyrene or wood. There should be enough bees to occupy 3-5 of the frames. The advantage of buying a nucleus is that they are less daunting to handle than a full colony and the nucleus can be expanded into a full colony over the remaining summer months whilst your confidence grows.
Nuc box: (see above) If the nuc box is included in the sale you will be getting a very useful bit of kit. You would be well advised to buy a nuc box even if you initially own only one colony. Prices for new polystyrene boxes are around £40.
Current years/last years queen: Beekeepers can raise queens from their existing colonies from May until July. A queen raised last year can be assessed for her quality before sale more easily than a queen raised this year. Conversely a queen raised this year is very much less likely to swarm than a queen raised last year. Expect to pay more for a ‘last years’ queen than a ‘current years’ queen.
Locally adapted queens: In short, queens raised from colonies on the Pennines will generally do better locally than queens purchased from less challenging parts of the country.
Buckfast bees: This is a strain of bee that was originally produced in Devon and is said to be particularly gentle and productive. You will see that many of the adverts in the beekeeping press mention this strain. The downsides are: 1. They are expensive. 2. Devon is not Yorkshire 3. The initial colony may be easy to handle but interbreeding with local bees can produce aggressive hybrids.
Imported queens: Adverts from commercial suppliers may state that the queen has been imported from abroad. Importation of queens is discouraged by the British Beekeeping Association

Where might my queen have come from? There are 3 possible answers to this question

  1. The queen has been bred by a beekeeper by selecting his/her best stock and producing queens from the chosen colonies. These queens and nucs will command the highest prices.
  2. The queen has been produced during ‘swarm control’ performed by the beekeeper. Such queens may be of good quality but there is a theoretical risk that queens produced this way may perpetuate an increased tendency to swarm. Could still be a good choice for the beginner and will be less expensive than option 1
  3. The queen and bees are a swarm that has been collected. Such bees are generally given away rather than sold. The downside is that this colony is an unknown quantity in terms of temper and disease. A donation of a swarm from an experienced and trusted beekeeper may well be a suitable starting point for some. The experienced beekeeper should ensure that the swarm contains a queen and has been observed to ensure it is free from disease.

What standards for nuclei are published? A document defining the standards that should be expected can be found under ‘sale of honeybee nuclei’ at  https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167

If I pay more for my bees are they more likely to survive? The answer is ‘no’. Annual colony losses are, on average, 18% with a range from 9% to 30%. Losses might be higher for less experienced beekeepers

What should I expect to pay for my bees? You can work out from the above which nuclei should be the most expensive and which the cheapest
Most expensive: A nucleus from a national supplier containing a ‘Buckfast’ queen or other specific strain. Last year’s queen ~£260, this year’s queen ~£240
Less expensive: A nucleus from a local breeder who has bred from good quality stock. Likely to be an overwintered queen. £150-200
Mid-range: A nucleus provided by non-specialist local beekeeper by breeding from their best stock with a queen raised in the current year £100-140
Least expensive: A queen produced from swarm control by a local beekeeper ~£ 50-100
Free: A swarm containing a queen
These prices exclude the nuc box in which the bees will arrive

All beginners will be paired with a mentor who will be able to provide some advice on your purchase and may just be able to provide you with some bees! Your mentor and some suppliers will be able to provide advice on transferring your nuc to a full-sized box.