Be sure to order early we usually sell out by February.
5 FRAME NUC INFO
If you want to support local beekeepers and get a NUC for a great price then you found the right place. Here's Why
- Our Nucs are made locally from our bees in Layton, UT. They have NOT be in transit long distances to be sold.
- Check out our Google reviews! We have a strong reputation and we work hard to keep it.
- You are supporting a local family owned business. We love what we do!
- You get the support of 2 experienced beekeepers who are willing to answer questions you might have or guide you through any situation you might be stuck on or are unsure about.
- Queens are proven before you pick them up. Most operations will make a nuc and throw a caged queen in and off you go. With Homer's we make the nuc and introduce the queen and will wait until she is laying and has proven herself so you don't end up with a dud queen. This gives you a successful start without any unexpected hiccups!
- You get a mark queen with current years color - No other venders around do this or even offer it. We see the value of having a marked queen especially for beginners. It's very educational to be able to see the queen during your inspection.
- Your bees will be treated for varroa mites and checked for disease so your bees can have a good clean start.
What is a nuc supposed to look like?
- Our strong 5 frame nucleus hive comes with an New 2024 or Over Wintered laying queen. All queens will come marked.
- It has 2 frames of developing brood (eggs, larvae, capped), 2 frames of honey and pollen and 1 frame with room for queen to lay eggs in, and not to mention lots of bees!
Great way to hit the ground running starting a hive. All queen bees are Italian/Cardovan or Carniolan hybrid. Bred to be gentle bees and great honey producers.
Please read info on choosing a OW(over-wintered) or New current year queen (bottom right of page on desktop)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Depending on weather, Nucs should be ready by the 4th weekend of April. As the queens prove themselves and become ready then we will reach out and schedule a day and time for pick up.
Canceling Bee Orders: There is a 15% processing fee that will be applied to ALL cancelled orders.
Nucleus (NUC) Hive with Marked Laying Queen 2024
- Pick-up priority will be determined by when the order and payment is received.
- Nucs will be ready the 3rd and 4th weekend of April, weather permitting.
- You will be sent a google form to sign up for a day and time when your bees are ready for pick up either in Layton or West Jordan.
- The Nuc is non-refundable and will be your responsibility once received at pick up.
When pre-ordering you are given the option to choose from a successful OverWintered queen (OW) from 2022 or a new queen from 2023. Whats the difference?
If you are a new beekeeper we recommend selecting a new queen your first year.
When recieving a nuc with a brand new queen, they are proven first before pick up. We have had great success with queens in the past. Of course, there are few that may not be as successful as the year progresses and unfortunately there is no way to know that in advance, this is agriculture, nothing is guaranteed. For that reason we offer the choice for a queen from the previous year because they have been proven successful to make it through the winter and you know she has been a good queen because the hive we split her from was strong as the new year is starting. We only split from our strongest and healthiest hives with awsome queens. This option would be better for advanced beekeepers. The main reason for that is a experienced beekeeper should know to have a OW queen is so you can use her to raise a new queen in July to replace her and to keep those healthy traits and genetics continuing on. Then you will be going into winter with a brand new queen. We recommend a new beekeeper to start with a new queen.
You can't make a wrong choice here. But knowing there are options can help. You need to remember too that we can not control the life of the bee. And in either cases being new or less than a year old, you can still lose queens due to mishandling from the beekeeper or illness. But here at Homer's Honeybee, our success is your success and we strive to give you the best experience possible with quality bees.
