2009 Package Bees
Package bees are available each Spring between mid-April and mid-May. We
expect our first shipment of 2009 packages in the first half of April. All
packages have a $5 cage deposit, refunded when the package is returned in
good condition
We supply Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) or Carniolan (Apis mellifera
carnica). See below for our comments on these to races.
You can place a deposit for 2009 package bees here.
2009 Queens
We will offer queens each week April through September, 2009.
We will supply Italian queens (Apis mellifera ligustica) or Carniolan (Apis
mellifera carnica). See below for comments about these races.
2009 Nucleus Hives
We offer 4 or 5 frame nucleus colonies produced from the best local
sources. These will be stocked with Kona queens. Availability is expected
in early April through June. We are now taking orders. You can place an
order online with the folowing link:
About Italian and Carniolan bees: Generalizing about bee
characteristics is to risk being proven wrong by the exception, but our
experience with these two wonderful races is as follows. We find the
Italian bee to be great for suburban beekeeping because of its gentle
characteristics combined with good honey productivity. The Carniolan
bee is thought to do well in colder, more mountainous climates. But,
in our experience, the Carniolan tends to be quicker to defend its
hive, so is perhaps less well suited to backyard beekeeping where you
have close neighbors. Carniolans also tend to maintain a smaller cluster
during the winter, and are late to build up brood in the spring.
However, the increase is quick when it happens, which can lead to
unexpeced swarming early in the season.
2009 Package Bees, Nucleus Hives, and Queens
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Ruhl Bee Supply