Spring 2026
Reserve
a Nuc
Wildfire Apiary sells nucleus colonies to local beekeepers in the North Carolina Piedmont. Stock is limited and selected carefully. Pickup is in Pinnacle, NC.
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.
Spring 2026
Five deep frames of brood, bees, and food and a local laying queen in a Jester nuc box.
Reserve a Nuc
Reservations will open soon. Get on the list below and you'll be notified the moment they do.
For Queens or the Next Batch
For mated queens, late-June nucs once these spring colonies sell out, or next spring's availability — this list hears first. No newsletters, no off-topic messages. Just an email when there's something to offer.
If you have a queen emergency, reach out directly. I may have a mated queen available even when none are listed for sale.