Frequently Asked Questions when Buying Bees

Tentative pickup dates are early October through to the end of December but are subject to change due to inconsistencies in spring weather. We will contact you via email to arrange a suitable pickup date by apointment. Date preference is first come, first served. Pickup days are typically on Saturdays and we do suggest allowing at least 30 minutes so you can have a chat with our onsite Beekeepers.

No problem, we can get this booked in for you. As long as you allow around 7 days notice you can go order your Onsite Beehive Delivery & Mentoring here. On the second step, you will be shown a calendar of available dates that our Mentors can come and delivery your bees for you. Please note, Onsite Beehive Delivery and Mentoring doesn’t include any bees (you will need to order them separately first).

Transport: Place the Nuc on the floor of your car or in a secure place where they cannot move around during transit. All Nucs will have vents to give the bees fresh air. Its important these are not covered during transit to allow adequate ventilation. Ideally, drive straight home or to the site location where you are starting your apiary. (Bees are living creatures and are perishable! Do not leave them in your car and duck into the shops on the way home, they will likely not survive. It is your responsibility and duty to ensure that all nucs are kept cool and out of the direct sun until they have been opened, installed into the apiary or transferred to your larger hive.)

Opening Nuc: If you have a bigger Langstroth Hive or a Flowhive move this away, it will not be used for now. Place the Nucleus hive, in the exact same spot the main hive will reside. Put on your bee suit and protective gear. Open the entrance of the hive and allow the bees to freely enter and exit. Bees can be a bit agitated from the transit and will need time to orientate. Safely move away and give them time to adjust to their new surrounds.

Installation: Within about 3-14 days it will be time to interact with your bees for the first time and transfer them to their bigger hive. We recommend this 1-hour course that walks you through the process. If you have ordered bees from BeehivesforSale we will have created your access to our free Beekeeping Accelerator Mini-eCourse (1 hour): Installing a Nucleus Hive - Moving Bees to a New Hive that you can access here.  

Its really important you do this ASAP once arriving home as your bees will need improved ventilation, access to water and will seek to begin to reorientate to their new location.

Currently, we are only operating in Victoria, Australia. We do have plans to partner with local Beekeepers in other states soon.

However, if you are interested in getting bees and are based in another state, please do reach out to us as we will always try to help.

You will be contacted before 30th September to arrange a pickup date between 1 October - 31 December. Bees will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact our support if you have any questions at all.

Currently, we have three Pickup Sites:

• South Morang, VIC (26km NE of Melbourne CBD)
• Mt Eliza, VIC (Mornington Peninsula)
• Geelong, VIC

Our registered Beekeepers take bee biosecurity and bee health very seriously. All our Expert Beekeepers have completed and passed current Bee Biosecurity Training. We would also encourage you to undertake this training yourself - here is the direct link.

All hives are inspected thoroughly for a variety of pests & diseases up to 14 days prior to delivery. Our Beekeepers also check a large sample of our nucs with American Foulbrood (AFB) Diagnostic Test Kits for added certainty.

Approximately 7-14 days after arrival and opening of the Nuc it is recommended you give your developing colony some additional space by relocating them into their new hive. Moving them from a 5 frame Nuc to an 8 frame Langstroth hive will give them that much-needed space to grow into as the Spring peak season for bees is upon us.

Beehivesforsale use high quality ventilated Nucleus Hives. They are secured closed with a latch and taped up for additional protection. While it is not necessary, we also provide additional Nuc Ventilated Mesh Transport Bags for added peace of mind.