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4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN
4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN
4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN
4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN
4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN
4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN

4 Frame TX- Made Starter Colonies- - Pick up TX & MN

$175.00

Buy more bees. Save more money.
3-9 Colonies - $175 each // 10-49 Colonies - $170 each // 50+ Colonies - Call Us For Pricing

Available Mid April (TX)/Early May (MN)2026

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. From there-- we have bred for traits (gentle demeanor, high honey yield, productivity, low mite loads). 

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

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.

 

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 2026 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.  

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).