Douglas Farm
Honey and Beeswax Products
Order Your Bees - Before they sell out!
Call: - (908) 781 - 1779 or email: bdrowe81@gmail.com
Orders for our honeybees are taken throughout the winter and picked up during May and June. We are proud to offer several unique breeds. We take great effort to maintain each breed's traits, we do our best to prevent cross breeding through isolated matting yards. Click here to read about our breeding program.
Please read the entire page for our terms and conditions. Note: by ordering bees you acknowledge bees sting, and some people who are allergic may die from being stung. You accept all risk associated with owning bees and potential medical issues.
Also note, we do not use any chemicals on our hives. The only mite treatment we uses is 1 drop of spearmint oil and 1 drop of lemon grass oil per gal of sugar feed, and a screened bottom board. This helps us breed for hygienic genetics that do not depend on man made treatments to survive.
If you're here looking to purchase bees for Bee Venom Therapy, Click Here.
2010 Prices
| Order | 3lb Italian Package | Standard Nuc | Super 10 Nuc |
Jan 1st - March 14th (extended 2 week) | $ 100 | $ 125 | $ 180 |
| After March 14th | $ 115 | $ 140 | $ 195 |
Marked Queen - $30 (5 or more $28 each) Package Standard Nuc Super 10 Nuc Std. Nucs Sold Out Please see the equipment page for super cell frame details
Nuc ('new-k') is short for nucleus hive. They are a small honey bee colony created from resources of larger over wintered colonies. The term refers to both the smaller sized box and the honeybees within it.
We are getting orders earlier this year.
Orders are taken starting October 1st until they sell out
- Our nucs for sale will be limited to a certain number. We will sell out, and we can't say for sure when, it depends how fast people place their orders.
- Over wintered queens (born previous fall) or new (present year) are available.
- By ordering bees you acknowledge bees sting, and some people who are allergic may die from being stung. You accept all risk associated with owning bees and potential medical issues.
- Orders can be paid by check in the mail or online.
Special instructions for online bee orders:
- You must select the "Live Bees" shipping option at the checkout, a $6 online processing fee will be added.
- There is no processing fee for payment by mail (check).
- Bees ordered online must be purchased seperately from any other products.
- Nucs and packages ordered online or by mail will follow the conditions listed on this page. They are to be picked up (not shipped) at an arranged time in May / June.
Nuc Calendar - ETA
NUC development: comb building, egg laying, and honey harvesting is extremely weather dependent because bees only fly when the temperature is over 50 °F and sunny, and there is NO RAIN! Males are nessisary to have mated queens. Males are fertile about 38 days after the queen lays the drone egg. Drone eggs are layed once the hive's brood area is able to maintain a warm enough tempurature. This period starts when the daily high first breaks 55 to 57 degrees F. However, it is very dependant on the daily lows and cluster size. Worker brood take priority in smaller clusters. Weather.com reports our first 55 to 57 degree average high is around April 1st. Beyond the 38 days after the average date of April 1st, more time is required to: mate virgin queens, mark queens, introduce queens into their nucs, verify egg production, and have workers draw some new wax. Queens mated and ready in April are usually born of stock in warmer climates and may not be optimal for local climate conditions when compared to local survivor stock.
NUC pickup is made on a first paid first serve basis. We are getting orders 2 weeks earlier than 2009, which is not reflected in the following chart:
We try to schedule a pickup time between 8-10 AM and a second pick-up time between 6-8 PM (dusk, after bee flying time). Max 3 pick-ups allowed per period. Delivery pick-up time maybe post poned if it is cool or wet.
Pickup & Local Delivery
Pickup: When the bees are ready for pickup we will email and/or phone you. Pick-up should be done within 6 days of notification. Douglas Farm reserves the right to either postpone pick up or cancel their order without refund for anyone who does not pick up their order within 6 days of their notification .
Normally, if you are not ready to receive the bees when we call, we will move you to the end of the list. This may mean a 4 to 5 week delay.
You will need a container to transport your bees. Options:
- Bring your own nuc box
- Bring one hive body, five or six frames, one outer and one inner cover.
- Borrow our nuc box, you will need to leave a deposit of $30 and return it within a week, undamaged.
- Buy an assembled cardboard nuc from us for $14. They light and are great swarm collecting tools.
Delivery & Install assistance:
We offer delivery and installation service to your location to help people unable to pick up their bees. We will service locations within 20 mile drive. $15 per hive plus $1 per mile (round trip distance) and tolls. We often work with new beekeepers. During the install you may feel free to ask us questions. Charges are per trip. Due to our limited time, we will not be able to delivery all orders. Additional charges will apply if the install site is not within 15 feet of the driveway.
Payment
Orders are dispersed by order of first paid, first served. Payment (by check) is expected within 4 weeks of your order. All orders not paid by this time will be canceled. Email or call us if you have payment questions.
If you inquire about an order with us and fail to send us payment within 4 weeks we reserve the right to refuse you service in the future.
Refunds
Generally, no refunds once the bees have been ordered. All refunds requests may be denied or granted based on the decision of Douglas Farm.
The primary reason is we have no way to ensure proper care of the bees once they are in your possession. It is easy for a new beekeeper to kill a queen accidentally. If your queen dies you must let us know within 5 days. A replacement will be needed as soon as possible. After the first 5 days no replacement will be provided and the new queen or package must be purchased. You are responsible for picking up the replacement, or the over night shipping cost.
If you notify us within 5 days that you need a new queen you must show us the dead queen. If she has been crushed we will not provide the free replacement queen. The replacement queen will come in a queen cage and go through the acceptance process. Not all queens are accepted, but most are. Additional replacement queens will not be provided free of charge.
Secondly, we have spent time and resources to ensure you get your bees. All issues with the bees must be addressed when the bees are picked up or at the time they are delivered. Should Douglas Farm be unable to provide you with your bees we will refund you your money, or credit you to a nuc next year.
Please note queen and / or hive performance is not guaranteed. Also note, there are always a percentage of queens and hives that do not survive.
FAQ
Should I buy a package, nuc or super 10 nuc?
We think that beginning beekeepers should purchase a nuc or super 10 first because of the difficulties when getting a package started on brand new frames and foundation without comb (comb poor). This state can delay the queen from laying and cause issues in the hive. In this case, supersedure of the queen works against the beginners through no fault of their own because of no comb frames queen egg production is slowdown. The tendency of bees to supersede their queen often makes initial success very difficult. This is unfortunate because many beginners have spent hundreds of dollars to experience the wonders of beekeeping only to fail at the outset. With a NUC, bees are installed on drawn comb, a brood nest has been established, honey and pollen have been stored and most importantly a young queen has been accepted.
If your hive from last year died, a good way to restart is to use a package. However, when you find your hive has died, do your best to remove the dead bees from the hive. Try to preserve the comb, bees decomposing in great numbers inside a hive will likely bring mold, fungus or disease. Also try to prevent other insects or mice from access to the comb.
How do I install my nuc?
- Your hive (enterance) should face south or southeast with some wind protection for optimal conditions.
- In a 10 frame hive body, remove the cover and 5 frames from the center.
- Remove the cover from your NUC and the outer frame from one side or the other. Place this frame against either of the outer pair of empty frames in your hive body. Then transfer each of the remaining frames in order without crushing bees.
- We do not recommend looking for the queen at this time, for this might cause her to run into the box itself, which is not preferred. We also show queens when you pick up your nuc. A second check is not needed
- When you have transferred all the frames from the NUC to the hive body, you should bump your NUC box upside down over the hive body to put any adhering bees into your hive. You may now replace the hive cover and lid as you are finished.
- Check for eggs and a queen 5 to 7 days after this install.
Bee Venom Therapy
Therapies involving the honeybee have existed for thousands of years and some may be as old as human medicine itself. Preliminary case studies suggest that bee venom may improve symptoms of:
| * Rheumatoid Arthitis * Gout * Osteoarthritis * Bursitis * Tendonitis | * Post herpetic neuralgia * Painful or keloid scars * Multiple Sclerosis * Fibromyalgia * Chronic fatigue syndrome |
More info can bee found at: The American Apitherapy Societ
Do not sting yourself with bees unless in a controlled environment. Please see a medical doctor when starting your bee venom program. By ordering bees you acknowledge bees sting, and some people who are allergic may die from being stung. You accept all risk associated with owning bees and potential medical issues.
- We can offer live bees to anywhere in the continental 48 states.
- April 1st through November 1st. No Large orders after Oct. 1st.
- USPS Express Mail is included in the online price. Select 'In store pickup' at checkout to not be charged additional shipping.
- Orders may be picked up if you pay in cash. Pick up by appointment only.
Size | Estimated # of Bees | Paid Online | Paid In Person |
S | 20 to 30 | $ 27 | $ 10 |
M | 30 to 45 | $ 31 | $ 15 |
L | 80 to 100 | $ 57 | $ 25 |
- You must select the "Live Bees" shipping option at the checkout, a $6 online processing fee will be added. There is no processing fee for payment by mail.
- Live bees ordered online must be purchased seperately from any other products.
