Bee families and nuclei: where and when to buy

Taking care of an entire family of bees requires skills, abilities and the application of cognitive processes that only time can give.

When a beekeeper is able to manage swarms, cores or bee families efficiently, it means that he already has considerable experience in the field.

The most delicate part to take into account is the possible presence of diseases or parasites that can characterize the brood and quickly spread to other bees. It is precisely to avoid this inconvenience that novice beekeepers prefer to procure swarms artificially from beekeeping companies or reliable beekeepers who produce them.

In this context it is worth mentioning Apicoltura Laterza which deals with the sale of highly selected and disease-free nuclei, swarms and families of bees . If you are looking for nuclei or families for your breeding, Apicoltura Laterza is just the one for you. In this article you will also find plenty of information on the subject of bee cores and families that may be useful for you to better understand when to buy cores and how to proceed.

What are bee families

Bee families are large groups of bees made up of a specific structure. In a family of bees, we find the presence of:

• A queen bee : each family contains only one queen. It deals exclusively with the production of eggs from which new individuals will come to life. The queen is the only bee in the hive capable of being fertile.
• Lots of worker bees : worker bees are present in large numbers and take care of every need relating to the queen's well-being. The workers share their duties guaranteeing the sovereign always optimal health by providing her with food and providing her temperature. In fact, the workers take care of heating the queen in the coldest periods in order to ensure that her reproduction is always efficient.
• Drones: with the term "drone" we refer to the male of the bee . The difference is also easy to understand visually. The drones do not possess the sting and are exclusively involved in fertilizing the queen who will keep their seed inside for the production of fertile eggs.
• Brood : the brood is nothing more than the set of baby bees, more precisely we refer to the eggs that the queen deposits to reproduce.

The elements that make up a family of bees are therefore managed by very precise and immutable mechanisms. The presence of the queen affects the entire survival cycle of the entire swarm. Without a queen bee, the family would not be able to reproduce, rapidly reducing the number of individuals and leading to death.

How to get bee families

There are different ways to get bee families for your farm.

As a first alternative there is the possibility of procuring bee families in a natural way by capturing swarms that are in the free state. In this case, however, as we have already specified, the risks are many, especially if we think of diseases. It is always important to know the origin and state of health of a swarm and not to waste time and effort on compromised families. In addition to the presence of diseases and parasites, taking a swarm that is in the free state could also lead to other complications such as the aggression of bees, and especially if out of season, the presence of old bees in the majority. Older bees are usually more aggressive than young bees.

The second alternative (certainly the best) is to get supplies by purchasing swarms and bee families from professional beekeepers who always certify the health of the animals. The most common format is the sale of units in special boxes in which the new family will reside together with:

• 3 frames containing the brood
• 2 frames with food and honey reserves

After the purchase of bee families , we will arrange for transportation in special vehicles that will allow you to stress the bees as little as possible during the trip. Apicoltura Laterza sends its bees through highly professional means. We care about the health of our bees and are committed to ensuring that the animals do not suffer any stunning and reach their destination in full force.

In this way, after transport there will be no problem to decant the family into the new hive.

How swarms are shipped

Apicoltura Laterza ships families of bees , nuclei, parcels and queen bees through special vehicles equipped with a ventilation and cooling system. Bees are transported at a stable temperature suited to their biological needs and do not suffer any damage during transport. We ship throughout Italy and throughout Europe.

Bee health certifications

By purchasing bees on Apicoltura Laterza, you will receive with your order a certification on the health of the bees. We have been producing packs and bee cores for over twenty years and we use the best equipment for disease control, we absolutely do not use any type of antibiotics. The cores we supply are ready for production, with anti-varroa treatment already performed and perfectly healthy.

Buy bee cores online

If you need to purchase swarms, core packs, bee families or queen bees for your farm, go to Availability in real time to consult the availability of products and buy your bees directly online in a few clicks!