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Welcome to the world of Buckfast Bees! Our Five Frame Buckfast Nucs are the ideal choice for both beginner and experienced beekeepers seeking healthy, hardworking bees to populate their beehives.

What is a Five Frame Nucleus?

A nucleus, commonly known as a nuc, typically comprises 3-6 frames and is designed to grow into a larger colony as the season progresses. Each fully operational nuc includes a mated queen actively laying eggs, 2-3 frames containing brood at various stages of development, and a frame dedicated to food stores.

Why Choose Buckfast Bees?

Buckfast bees, a hybrid breed developed by Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey, are renowned for their exceptional qualities:

• Gentle Temperament: Ideal for hobby and commercial beekeeping, these bees are known for their docile nature, making them easy to handle during routine hive inspections.
• High Productivity: Buckfast bees quick to get to work in the spring building colony sizes prolifically making them brilliant honey producers, ensuring a bountiful harvest.
• Disease Resistance: Buckfast bees are often bred from stocks that show enhanced hygienic properties and resistance to common bee diseases and pest.
• Low Swarming Tendency: Less likely to swarm unlike other breeds of honeybee. However, bees being bees, this is not always the case as seasonal changes in weather and honey producing conditions can have a big influence on swarming.

How We Produce Our Nucs.

Our Buckfast Nucs are created by transferring brood and worker bees from a larger hive into a smaller nuc box, where a fertile queen is then introduced. This nuc box is relocated away from the original apiary to prevent the worker bees from returning to their original colony. This separation period, typically about a week, allows the worker bees to acclimate to and accept the new queen. Successful acceptance is indicated by the queen actively laying eggs in substantial clusters on the frames. Following this, the nuc is nourished with inverted sugar syrup and allowed to grow in population.

What's Included in Our Buckfast Nucs?

Our nucs are supplied in either a temporary Correx® travel box or an insulated polystyrene box that we use to winter our nucs. All of our nucs are supplied on British Standard National DN4 self-spacing frames.

Each nuc contains:

• 5 Frames of Bees: A balanced mix of brood, pollen, food and a busting healthy vibrant bee population. Usually, three to four frames of brood and one or two frame of food stores. All of the our nucs are produced on British Standard National DN4 Frames.
• A Mated Buckfast Queen: Fully established in the colony and laying eggs prolifically, our queens are carefully selected for their vitality and breeding qualities, ensuring a robust colony. All queens are marked accordingly with the colour for the year they were produced.
• Healthy Bees: We prioritize the health and well-being of our bees. Our nucs are inspected regularly to ensure they are free of pests and diseases. All of our production colonies and nucs are fed with high quality bee feed when needed and treated with the best varroa treatment available in the UK.

Benefits of Starting with Five or Six Frame Buckfast Nucs:

• A Strong Foundation: A Buckfast nuc offers a well-established small colony of bees filled brood and food stores. Giving the foundation the colony needs to grow rapidly into a full-size honey producing hive of bees.
• Faster Colony Growth: With a nuc, your colony will usually expand more quickly, leading to earlier and more significant honey production and opportunities to make splits (more nucs) if desired.
• Ease of Installation: Integrating a nuc into your hive is straightforward, making it a quick hassle-free experience for new beekeepers if needed, or you can take your time to enjoy welcoming your buzzy new arrivals.

The Importance of Choosing a Reputable Supplier

When it comes to beekeeping, the source of your bees is as important as the care you provide. Choosing a reputable supplier for your Buckfast Nucs is crucial for several reasons:

• Guaranteed Quality: Reputable suppliers ensure the health and quality of their bees, reducing the risks of diseases and pests. Reputable suppliers undergo stringent health inspections from the National Bee Unit, as and when needed, to guarantee nucs are produced from disease free bees.
• Expert Support: With extensive knowledge and experience, reputable suppliers offer invaluable guidance and advice, pre- and post-sale, often developing good relationships customers.
• Professional Customer Care & Service: Purchasing from an established and reputable business safeguard you against the risks associated with unscrupulous beekeepers focused on quick sales. These less reliable sources often offer inadequately established colonies and lack any form of after-sales support in case issues arise with your nuc. Choosing a trusted supplier ensures you receive a healthy, well-founded colony and the necessary support for any future concerns.
• Beekeeping Insights: Receive expert tips on managing and growing your colony effectively. Trusted suppliers are happy to assist you at every step of your beekeeping journey, from installation of you nuc to harvesting your first crop of delicious honey.

By choosing us as your trusted supplier, you're not only acquiring high-quality bees but also investing in a resource-rich, ethical, and supportive beekeeping experience.

Our Commitment to Sustainability and Education

We believe in sustainable beekeeping practices and are dedicated to the education and support of our beekeeping community. When you purchase from us, you're not just getting Buckfast bees; you're gaining a partner in your beekeeping journey.

Order your Buckfast Bee 5-Frame Nuc today and experience the joy and rewards of beekeeping!