Queens & Nucs
We believe that creating a local supply of nucs and queens for northern beekeepers is essential to the health of our New England honey bee population. While we know we will never be able to supply all of the needs of Southern Maine, we are committed to being a part of the solution. In conjunction with other local bee breeders, we are making a dent in the need for southern bred bees. We strongly urge beekeepers to look locally for bees before purchasing queens and bees from away.
Nuc (nucleus hive ) Ordering Information
We are now SOLD OUT of our overwintered nucs for the spring of 2010.
For those who have current reservations for our nucs: All nucs will have marked and mated Maine raised queens from Overland Apiary stock. 5 frame deep nucs $130. 10 frame medium nucs $140. Nucs will be ready for pick up in early May 2010, depending on the weather. Deposits will be taken to reserve nucs beginning January 1, 2010. Please be sure to include contact information with your nuc order. We will contact you by e-mail to confirm your nuc order but will need to call you to arrange a pick up date/time in May.
It is important to us to help new beekeepers start off right in beekeeping and we believe northern raised queens and nucs are a big part of that. It is also very important to us to make sure our bees go to good homes. If you are a beginning beekeeper, we will ask you to certify that you have attended a bee school and that you have a support system (bee club) or mentor to help you with your bees.
Erin Forbes stacking and wrapping nucs for winter
I plan for nucs to be ready for pickup in early May - generally the first or second weekend. Of course this all depends on the weather, particularly the weather in April and how the bees are building up. This is a photo of some of the nucs today, January 23, 2010. The bees were flying just a little (at about 35 degrees) and in listening to the hives, all sounded good. February and March are the toughest months for bees in Maine and they are still ahead of us, but at this point I'm feeling very encouraged.
Overland Apiaries Falmouth Maine nuc yard January 23,2010
Queen Ordering Information
A limited number of Maine raised queens will be available in June and July 2010. $25.00 each plus shipping via USPS priority Mail. Please contact us with your queen request and I will respond with availability.
Maine Raised Queen honeybee (sold marked)