Bee Colonies, Deposit

To get started in beekeeping, the most important thing you need is a colony of bees. There’s a few different ways to get these. Bindaree supplies bee colonies, or nucleus colonies. These differ from swarms or package bees, in that the colonies are already established on frames with honey and brood. There are four frames, two or three thousand bees, and a new queen. The queen has been selected to suit an urban environment. She’s keen but not mean. Depending on the type of hive that you have or would like to have, you can get bee colonies for Langstroth, Flow Hives, Warre Hives, or Top Bar Hives.

Bee colonies are only available from October through December. It’s difficult to establish them after December because generally around that time of year, it gets hotter and drier, and there’s not as much for the bees to feed on. They need time to establish and build up their reserves before winter sets in.

The total cost of the Langstroth and Flow Hive colonies is $240. Warre and Top Bar colonies are $260. To be sure to get them as soon as they are available, you can make a booking with a deposit of $50 per colony. The deposit is generally non-refundable; this is to cover our costs in setting up the hive if you decide not to get it. There is a limit of four colonies per customer.