Purchase Honey Bees Anytime
Quality bees by beekeepers you can trust
We also carry a small assortment of new and used equipment, wax, etc.
Want Bees? We Got You!
- ONLINE ORDERS CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTED DUE TO LATE-SEASON DEMAND + LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE. CALL KIRBY FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS.
Due to limited supply and varying stages of nuc development, please allow us up to a week to plan for your nuc pick-up day. Many of our colonies are located at out-apiaries and must be inspected thentransported to our home apiary before you can visit and pick up yours. Payments accepted via Zelle & Venmo- just text or call Kirby!
Some nucs have outgrown their nuc-sale-size and are or will soon be available as 8-frame colonies. Pricing varies based on a fair price for population size, resource storas, etc.
Spring nucs come with a newly mated laying Italian queen and at least two frames of brood (eggs, larvae & capped pupae) as well as frames of resources (nectar, honey & pollen) for an established five-frame colony ready for immediate expansion into a full-sized hive body. Purchasing 5 or more nucs? Save $75+ with our Quantity Discount. (Available in early spring only). Want your queen marked for easy queen-spotting? Add this option to your deposit or purchase price (preferred BEFORE pick up day) and we will mark your queen and make life, well.. just easier for you! While Ms. Queen may literally stand out in the crowd, she is often very difficult to find- even for the trained eye of an experienced beekeeper. Treat yourself to a marked queen. Healthy honey bee colonies can change queens between inspections for a number of reasons. Without a marked queen a beekeeper may never realize the colony genetics have changed. Never be left guessing!
*Same-day or last-minute Queen Marking may not always be available and will include a $10 surcharge ($35 cost versus $25 prepaid). Please Call Kirby or text to 972-897-8348 for last-minute service! Queen markings can be removed by enthusiastic, hygienic bees (especially when applied in late in the season). This is not as common in nucs with new queens marked soon after mating.
"Wait! Bees come in different sizes?" No, silly.. but their colony population varies by purchase type. Here's the skinny on buying bees..
Honey Bee Colony Sizes Explained
A nuc of bees (short for nucleus colony) is a small, miniature beehive containing a laying queen, a few frames of bees, brood (eggs, larvae, pupae), and food (honey/pollen), acting as a starter kit for beekeepers to establish a new colony with a significant head start over a bee package, offering established comb, brood, and an accepted queen for faster growth. These bees come in a transportable, temporary corrugated plastic flip-top box. Return this container for a $10 cash refund.
A full-size deep colony of bees refers to a mature, healthy honey bee family unit living in a deep hive body (brood box), typically the largest standard size of beehive box, with a population that can reach 30,000 to 60,000 workers during the peak season. Bring your woodenware equipment to transport these bees home (one deep hive body, a bottom board and top cover), or arrange delivery + installation service.
A full-size double deep colony is a strong, established honey bee hive with two stacked deep hive bodies (boxes), providing ample space for the queen to lay eggs and the colony to store food, typically housing 30,000 to 80,000 bees during peak season, representing a robust population ready for spring buildup or honey production. It signifies a healthy, productive hive often used for overwintering or creating smaller nucleus colonies (nucs). Bring your own woodenware to transport these bees home (two deep hive bodies, a bottom board and top cover), or arrange delivery + installation service.
Buying Full-size Hives of Bees is Always a Good Idea
Seasonally Available only- please contact us.
Rather lease bees than buy them? We do that!
Choose from Single Deep or Double
Full-size colonies consist of a single deep hive body, or a double deep when available.*
Single deeps consist of about four or five frames of brood, three frames of resources and up to two frames being worked by bees- partially drawn with comb and beginning to be filled with resources. One frame may be blank or just be being drawn with the outline of its waxed framework.
Double deeps have the above mentioned deep hive body as its first, or primary box (also known as the primary brood chamber). A second deep box will be on top of the first and will be actively worked by bees. This deep box may have a few frames of brood plus resources on a minimum of four frames of drawn comb. Altogether a double deep should have about eight frames of brood and no less than eight frames of drawn comb being filled with resources. One to four blank, or undrawn frames, is customary depending on the time of season and weather conditions.
*Double deeps are typically available later in the year once colonies have built up during the Spring nectar flow. Some healthy multi-year colonies may begin Spring as double deeps- availability limited.
Single deeps consist of about four or five frames of brood, three frames of resources and up to two frames being worked by bees- partially drawn with comb and beginning to be filled with resources. One frame may be blank or just be being drawn with the outline of its waxed framework.
Double deeps have the above mentioned deep hive body as its first, or primary box (also known as the primary brood chamber). A second deep box will be on top of the first and will be actively worked by bees. This deep box may have a few frames of brood plus resources on a minimum of four frames of drawn comb. Altogether a double deep should have about eight frames of brood and no less than eight frames of drawn comb being filled with resources. One to four blank, or undrawn frames, is customary depending on the time of season and weather conditions.
*Double deeps are typically available later in the year once colonies have built up during the Spring nectar flow. Some healthy multi-year colonies may begin Spring as double deeps- availability limited.
Please call for pricing and options.
All colonies come with a laying queen and a healthy population of worker bees.
- If you prefer a new 2026 Queen, please allow two weeks for Queen purchase, shipping and then queen adoption by the colony before you pick up your bees.
- For a 2026 queen in your single or double deep colony, a new queen purchase is required and shipping charges apply (this varies at $15-$30 plus the cost of the new queen). Please call for further details.