Description

Please read description carefully – these nucleus colonies are designed specifically for use the “Les Crowder” or Kenyan style horizonal top bar hives. These hives are unique and require specialized boxes that you can either purchase or make yourself.

Top Bar Nucs – Texas-Raised, Treatment-Free Bees for Top Bar Hives

Our top bar nucs are fully treatment-free and ideal for beekeepers practicing natural, sustainable beekeeping methods. Raised in the heart of Texas, these top bar nucleus colonies are selected for their health, varroa-sensitive hygienic behavior, productivity, and gentle temperament.

What’s Included in Your Top Bar Nuc:

• 5 Frames of Brood, Resources, and Bees: You’ll receive 5 frames, including 2+ frames of brood and a 5th frame for the bees to build on, which may not be fully drawn. This provides a strong foundation for your top bar hive.
• Texas-Raised Queen: Each nuc comes with a Texas bred queen, we breed from queens that are carefully selected for her varroa-sensitive hygienic (VSH) behavior, health, productivity, and gentle temperament.
• Treatment-Free and VSH Bees: We prioritize natural beekeeping by raising our bees without chemical treatments, and we select queens from known VSH and treatment-free breeder lines to ensure the health and productivity of your colony.
• 60-Day Guarantee: We stand behind our bees with a 60-day guarantee in all cases except neglect, ensuring that you receive a thriving and healthy colony.
• Packaged in Jester EZ Nuc Boxes: Your bees will arrive securely packaged in ready-to-travel Jester EZ nuc boxes, making transportation to your top bar hive simple and safe.

Why Choose Our Top Bar Nucs?

• Fully Treatment-Free: Our top bar colonies are raised and established without chemical treatments, promoting a more natural and sustainable approach to beekeeping. While we do believe treating can help mitigate additional stress on the bees – we respect the choice of beekeepers aiming towards natural beekeeping and do not treat our top bar colonies.
• Locally Adapted: Raised in Texas, these bees are well-suited to the local climate, making them an excellent choice for regional beekeepers.

• Experience: We have supplied top bar hives to Texans for 10 years and have a track record in raising resilient and workable bees.
• We back our product: We help our clients via text message as they navigate their beekeeping journey and will always work to help provide solid advice on keeping the bees alive and thriving.
• Tailored for Top Bar Hives: Designed specifically for top bar beekeeping as taught in Les Crowder’s popular beekeeping book and designed to fit in Bee Mindful’s top bar beekeeping “Les is More” plans, our nucs ensure an easy transition into your top bar hive and a much higher success rate than installing packages.

 

 

Pickup and Delivery Information:

• Pickup dates will be communicated with you as we get closer to the available dates – we offer weekend and weekday dates to choose from. Typically pickup dates are offered between April 15-May 7. You will receive text and email alerts to book your specific date.
• Pickup times are in the morning.
• The bees will be in a temporary, travel-friendly box. We recommend buying a laundry bag when traveling with the bees inside your
• Multiple location options:
  • Pickup in Bryan: Conveniently pick up your top bar nucs from our farm in College Station, Texas. Our address is 18472 Lone Star Lane, College Station, TX, 77845
  • Pickup in San Marcos: We will have bees available for pickup in San Marcos, Texas. Pickup address is a private residence and will be provided to you as part of your pickup instructions.
• Professional Installation Available: For an additional fee, we offer professional installation to ensure your bees are introduced comfortably to your top bar hive. You can add this to your cart – please be advised that trips beyond the local Bryan/College Station area may require additional fees for mileage.

Access to Our Online Beginner Course:

With your purchase, you’ll receive access to our online beginner beekeeping course. This quick and easy-to-follow course is highly recommended for beekeepers of all levels and includes helpful support materials. You can optionally upgrade to our extended online course with access to pdf presentation documents, supplemental information, and videos in an easy to follow format.

Reserve Your Top Bar Nuc Today!

Our treatment-free, Texas-raised top bar nucs are in high demand. Reserve yours today to ensure your top bar hive is populated with healthy, productive bees from Prime Bees!