2026 Bee Orders | El Dorado Beekeepers

Considerations for beginners

Purchasing a nuc is the fastest and easiest way to establish a new colony.

For those beekeepers using medium boxes for brood chambers, or beekeeping with top bar hives, you’ll need to order package bees.

Langstroth hives are used by the majority of beekeepers.

Most beginning beekeeping books focus on Langstroths.

Concerned with heavy lifting?

For a lighter option consider using 8-frame deeps for your brood chambers instead of the standard 10-frame.

This year the El Dorado Beekeepers is offering club members the choice of both nucs and package bees.

A nucleus colony (nuc) consists of five deep frames with honeycomb and a newly established colony. It includes a newly mated queen, all stages of brood, and frames with honey and pollen. Nucs build up more quickly than packages and are the easiest way for beginners to establish new hives.

Package bees are an artificial swarm containing 2-3 lbs of shook bees, plus a newly mated, caged queen.

All sales are final

Nucleus Colony

$225.00

SUPPLIER:
Golden West Apiaries
Eric Oliver
Grass Valley, CA

5 deep wooden frames with built-out honeycomb
sold in a reusable nuc box
recently mated queen, laying and tested
brood in all stages
frames with honey and pollen

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available

Coming Soon

Package Bees

$140.00

SUPPLIER: C.F. Koehnen & Sons, Inc.

3 lbs of bees
newly mated caged Koehnen and Sons Italian queen
Anticipated delivery April 11th (weather dependent)
Last Day to purchase packages is March 30th!

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When will my bees arrive?

Bees are like babies and come when they’re ready. That being said, you’ll want to be fully prepared with your hives assembled and in place by the first of April.

Bees "usually" arrive anytime from mid-April to mid-May. Everything depends on Mother Nature, as queens and drones need dry weather with temperatures above 70°F in order to mate. Once queens are mated, nucs and packages can be completed and readied for delivery.

We kindly ask that you do not call to inquire when your bees will arrive. We won't know until our vendors notify us. As soon as a delivery day is scheduled, you will be notified by email on what day to pick up your bees. Notifications will also go out on Facebook and our website.

Questions? Contact B. Rider at [email protected]