Available Mid April (TX)/Early May (MN)2025
Bolton Bees TX-made starter colonies are made from healthy hives we manage in Texas from November through May. Each 4 frame nucleus colony received will have a mated queen and the brood in the hive is her offspring. This means that we do not put frames of brood together with a mated queen. We are queen breeders and raised a queen cell for the hive. The queen emerged, went on a mating flight, and laid the brood in the hive.
TX-made hives have been bred with baseline genetics from the MN Hygenic line Italian bees. The major difference between the TX-made and the MN-Made (besides the pickup location) is that these hives have not been breed to withstand our long cold northern winters.
We make them up in the spring in SE Texas and they are available for pick up Mid April/ Early May (weather and location dependent).
Mid April--- Orders are pick-up in Fannett, TX/ Winnie, TX area.
Early May--- -- Orders are pick-up in Hugo MN
Please note: *These are bulk orders. 10+ hives Great for bee clubs, sideliner and commercial beekeepers.
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
-
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.