FAQ
Questions, answered
The things we hear most — about our bees, our wildflower honey, how the classes run, and what to expect on pickup day.
Bees
Nucleus colonies, queens, and our VSH Italian stock.
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A nucleus colony is a self-sustaining split made from a larger colony. This split is comprised of a queen, bees of all ages, and brood in various stages from eggs to sealed brood. The bees have frames with comb, food, and brood. A nuc is one of the easiest ways to start a new colony. This differentiates a "package" of bees which does not contain frames, comb, brood, honey, pollen, etc.
The benefits of a nucleus colony are that it gives the beekeeper a leg up in starting out the season, as it is an established “starter” colony. Because there are bees and brood in all stages the nuc is in balance. This results in faster colony development.
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An overwintered nuc contains last year’s production queen and generally is more expensive than a spring nuc, because it has an established laying queen that has proven to survive the winter. An over-wintered nuc is turbo-charged and ready to grow, and usually produces a good crop of honey the first year. Overwintered nucs make a lot of sense for beekeepers because they are usually ready by mid-April. This gives the beekeeper a great early start to the season.
Spring nucs are produced by making splits in the early spring with either a virgin queen or queen cell. These nucs take a longer (ready in mid-late May) to produce because after the queen is created, she must go out on a mating flight, return, and start the brood process. The nuc will contain brood in all stages and takes at least 3 weeks create. This ensures that the queen is mated properly. Spring nucs are great for first year beekeepers, because they are less likely to swarm.
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If you ordered an Over-wintered nuc(s) it will be ready in April. If you ordered a Spring nuc it will be ready in May-early June. Orders are processed in the order in which they were received. When your nuc is ready you will be contacted to make an appointment.
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Your nuc will come in a cardboard box, and is ready to go. For biosecurity reasons we do not do frame exchanges, or allow other hardware on the premises. If you feel a little nervous, please feel free to bring a veil and jacket. I recommend getting a mesh netting bag (you can get one HERE) to keep any stragglers contained during the ride home. To transport, I recommend that you secure it inside your air-conditioned vehicle and not in the back of a truck bed. Do not put in the trunk of your car, please.
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Typically, these nucs are packed out pretty good and will need room very soon. When you get you nuc home, you should place it in the location that you intend the colony to live, with the entrance pointing in the direction you planned. Remove the tape from the entrance, to allow them to settle for about a day or so. Place a branch or object at the front of the box to help them adjust to the new location. On the second day, remove the frames and place in the center of your brood box with the empty frames on the outside. Place the frames from the nuc in same order in which you found them. While we are in a flow, I would recommend feeding a 1:1 sugar syrup. It will take the foragers a few days acclimate, and you want to keep that queen laying. In addition, if you only have foundation and no drawn comb, this will be beneficial to getting them to build out
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Item deOur breeder queens are 100% VSH Italians. Our mating yard is based in Barboursville and the queens that we create mate with drones that are in the area.scription
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Varroa Sensitive Hygienic is a behavior trait where the honey bees remove the pupae that have been infected with a varroa mite. This behavior disrupts the lifecycle of the varroa mite.
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In the past I have used both mediums and deeps, but was faced with some limitations when attempting to make colony manipulations. Picking one form factor removes the complications and improves efficiency. A full deep of honey can weight up to 70-90 pounds. I like the idea of all deeps for many reasons, but I like my back better.
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Most of the queens that are created are for the spring nucs, and any colonies in our apiary that we need to requeen. If we have extras they will show up as available in the store. Feel free to ask, you may just catch me at the right time.
Honey
Virginia wildflower honey, raw, unfiltered, and never heated.
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We call our honey a wildflower honey because there is not one particular nectar source in our area. Our honey is usually harvested in June that is a spring/summer honey. Honey bees will forage up to a 2-mile radius. We are lucky to be surrounded by wooded areas that contain lots of tulip poplars and black locust. There are lots of other blooms in our area such as blackberry, autumn olive, mountain laurel, blueberries, and redbuds. We have also recently planted a couple acres of wildflowers to help extend the season.
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Depending on the nectar source, the honey may vary in the percentage of water. The USDA considers any honey that 18.5% water content or lower grade A honey. High water concentration can cause honey to ferment. Our honey averages around 17%, which give the honey a dense viscous.
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Our honey is just the way the bees made it and we’ve done nothing to alter it. Raw honey is not filtered or heated. Most honeys that you find at the grocery store have been heated to prevent fermentation.
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No. The USDA does not certify honey as organic. Because the bees travel for miles to find nectar and pollen sources, and we have no way to control where they go, it is not feasible to call honey organic in the United States. Most of the honeys that are labeled “organic” in stores are imported from other countries under foreign certifications. These honeys have been heated and are not considered raw. Our varroa mite IPM strategy uses best practices to include mechanical, biological, and organic means to keep our bees healthy and safe.
Classes
Policies and what to bring.
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Our classes are limited to 10 and fill up early. We do not accept cancellations within 10 days of class.
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If you wish to participate on in the hands-on portion of the class, yes indeed. At a minimum you must wear a bee jacket and veil. You must bring your own protective gear.
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Pen, paper, and a tablet if you wish to take notes. There will be handouts. Classes run about 3 hours. Bring a snack if you wish.
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The lecture portion of the class will be held in an open barn. Please dress accordingly. If the weather makes a colony inspection prohibitive (i.e. heavy rain, cold temps), we will either move the class time back or reschedule. If for any reason class gets cancelled altogether, the student will be refunded.
Shipping and Returns
How orders ship and our return policy.
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Orders typically ship within 1-3 business days via priority or express mail, and we’ll send you a tracking number.
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No refunds. If a product arrives damaged or defective, please take photos and contact us within 24 hours using the contact page — we’ll make it right.
Farm Pickup
Coming to the farm.
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Farm pickup is by appointment, typically arrandged within 24 hours. A honey pickup box is located at the end of the driveway. We’ll share the farm address and details with order confirmation.
Swarms & Cutouts
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No. Please contact the Central Virginia Beekeepers Association for swarm removals.