Click here to learn more about how our bees become MN-hardy!
Available mid June/ Early July 2025
These hives are made in the spring from over-wintered MN-Hardy genetics, but have yet to experience a Minnesota winter.
All payments are due upfront. Orders are pick-up only in Hugo or Park Rapids,MN.
Purchasers of a 4 frame nucleus colony from Bolton Bees will receive:
-
2-3 frames of Brood (open and closed)
-
1-2 frames with Honey/Pollen/Foundation
-
1 mated Queen from our MN-Hardy hygienic stock
-
1 reusable wooden transport box that you keep
-
Our Guarantee of Quality Inspection
We go through every starter colony prior to pick up and inspect the hive to ensure that they meet our high quality standards.
These hives are great for the first time beekeeper and the experienced beekeeper.
Transfer the established starter colony (4 frames) into your standard 8 or 10 frame equipment.
1) This is not a package of bees. It is an established functioning colony. All brood is laid by recently mated 2024 MN-hardy queen.
2) All nucs will be healthy and have low mite loads. You will be set you up for success.
3) You do not have to return the equipment. It is yours to keep and to use.
4) We are the beekeepers. We raised the selected the genetics and raised the queens ourselves. We do not buy other peoples hives and resell.
5)We like to give our customers time. We chat with you at pick up and always answer our phone and email.
How to use a starter colony:
We typically always make surplus honey off of these spring-made colonies the same season they are made by running for honey with them as singles. To do this: transfer the colony into a single deep production hive box. Once the colony has expanded and needs space, place a queen excluder over that box. Place supers with drawn comb over the excluder. You will likely get honey this year. Feed the hive to weight in the fall and overwinter as a single.
These hives are also good for a midseason re-Queen/boost to a failing hive OR manage them as a multiple story nucleus colony and overwinter them. The following spring, transfer them into a production hive- They will be ready to smash a honey crop.
You will likely need to pull surplus brood (1-2 hive split) off this hive in the following spring. Typically you will get surplus honey to extract for yourselves that following year (75-125lbs weather dependent).