There are two main types of honey bees available for purchase to start new colonies: package bees and nucleus colonies. This article summarizes the considerations for each type of starter colony.
When to start new colonies
The ideal time to start new honey bee colonies in Central Florida is in spring. In our region, some beekeepers may find it easier to successfully establish colonies for the longer spring bloom season (“honey flow”) than for the shorter, inconsistent, fall bloom season. Small-scale beekeepers will usually pre-order bees in December-February, and the bees will typically be available around April.
There are potential advantages and disadvantages for each type of starter colony; this comparison chart can help you identify what type is best for you.
| Consideration | Honey Bee Packages | Honey Bee Nucleus Hives (“Nucs”) |
| The bees | A screen box that typically comes with three (3) pounds of honey bees and a mated queen. This should equate to about 10,000 bees.
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A small, establishing colony that typically consists of five (5) Langstroth-sized frames, including 2-4 frames of brood, and a mated queen. Number of bees in a nucleus colony may be around 6,000-12,000; actual number of bees is highly variable in nucleus colonies, depending on what standards the bee supplier has for their nucs. |
| Bee origin | Package bees can be ordered from many states, but bees from different climates may not be able to adapt well to our hot, humid climate. | Nucleus colonies are created and sold locally and are likely to be adapted to our climate. |
| Your apiary setup | If you have an alternative hive configuration, such as using medium supers for brood supers or have Warré hives or Layens hives, then package bees are the way to go. | If you are using typical Langstroth-sized, deep brood supers for your hives, then nucleus colonies are an easy way to establish colonies. |
| Cost
Costs of both types of colonies have been variable in recent years. Expect to pay $200 and up for a colony of bees in spring 2025 if you are a small-scale beekeeper ordering a few colonies. |
Packages of bees are sometimes less expensive than nucs. | Nucleus colonies may be more expensive than package bees. |
| Availability | Sometimes package bees are available sooner than nucleus hives. | Sometimes nucleus hives are available later in the season than packages. |
| Obtaining the bees | If you are having package bees shipped directly to you, they may not arrive alive or they may be held at the post office, which may or may not be communicated in a timely manner, and you may or may not be able to pick them up during their business hours, endangering the bees’ survival. If you are purchasing through a local supplier, then it’s better to pick up the bees in person and install them in your apiary immediately. | You will have to coordinate in-person pick up of nucleus colonies. You may need some flexibility to coordinate this, as pick up days are often estimated far in advance and beekeeping is a complex operation with unpredictable factors that may require an adjustment in pick up day. |
| Establishment time | It can take longer to establish package bees because they are starting with nothing. The bees will have to build honeycomb (if you don’t have any built-out frames of honeycomb) and there is no brood. Therefore, it will take at least a month before the colony is producing more bees. | The colony is already producing young and growing in population. |
| Feeding | You may have to feed package bees more, and for a longer period, than you would a nucleus colony. | The bees already have some honeycomb and some pollen/honey and may be able to establish quickly without extensive feeding. Bees will usually benefit from some feeding initially to help them get off to a good start. |
| Pests | If purchased from a responsible bee supplier, package bees will usually be completely free of Varroa mites, and there is no old equipment or honeycomb that may be harboring diseases or pests. | If purchased from a responsible bee supplier, nucleus colonies are treated for Varroa mites prior to sale. However, there is a chance that some mites may be in brood cells, and diseases and pests may be spread through the older comb that is usually used in nucleus colonies. |
Where to buy bees
It is recommended that new beekeepers only buy from a well-established, reputable, local bee supplier. Buying bees from sources like internet classified ads may seem like an easy way to obtain bees, but not all sellers are following good beekeeping practices. Some beekeepers, whether purposely or unknowingly, may be selling Africanized bees, pest or disease-infested colonies, colonies with old queens, or even feral colonies of unknown origin.
For upcoming beekeeping and farming classes in Osceola County, see our UF IFAS Extension-Osceola Events Page.
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