Spring Availability
Nucs &
Mated
Queens
When the season allows, Wildfire Apiary sells nucleus colonies and mated queens to local beekeepers in the North Carolina Piedmont. Stock is limited and selected carefully. If you want to be notified when availability opens, get on the list.
A nucleus colony (a nuc) is a small, established colony built on five frames. It has everything a full colony has: a laying queen, workers across all age groups, capped brood, open brood, pollen, and honey. It is not a package of bees shaken into a box. It is a functioning hive in miniature, ready to expand into a standard deep the day you bring it home.
For a new beekeeper, a nuc is the most forgiving way to start. The colony has already accepted the queen, the brood nest is established, and you skip the most uncertain weeks of a new package installation. For an experienced beekeeper replacing a loss, a nuc gets you back to full strength faster.
Queens at Wildfire Apiary are grafted from colonies selected for temperament, spring build-up, and low varroa mite loads. I don't sell from colonies I wouldn't keep myself. The mating yards are local, working the same foothills these bees have been bred in.
Nucs are built up over several weeks before they leave here. By the time they're available the queen is proven and the colony is on a growth trajectory. I'm not in the business of moving bees out the door fast.
Availability
Nucs and queens are available in spring, typically late April through June, depending on how the season develops. Quantities are limited. Nuc production runs alongside the honey operation and what's available depends on how the season unfolds.
Pickup is in Pinnacle, NC. Local beekeepers only. I'm not shipping live bees. When availability is confirmed I'll reach out to everyone on the list with details on pricing and pickup scheduling.
If you have a queen emergency, reach out directly. I may have a mated queen available even when none are listed for sale.
Get on the List
When preorders open for nucs or queens, this list hears first. No newsletters, no off-topic messages. Just an email when there's something to offer.