We are sold out of overwintered nucleus hives for 2025. Please check back in 2026!

5 deep frames or 8 medium frames of healthy bees, brood, honey, and a queen. Our spring nucs are made up with our bees and a purchased queen. The queens are given a full month to acclimate to their nuc, so you will never get an unaccepted queen in a cage. Spring nucs also include 1 pound of pollen supplement to be fed to the bees during poor weather. No box returns necessary on Deep nucs. Medium nucs will come in a plywood nuc box, which we would like back (price includes $25 refundable box and strap deposit). Nucleus hives must be picked up in Shoreline. We do not ship bees.

These nucs are raised by Rainy Day Bees in the Seattle area.

• Our overwintered nucleus hives (when available) are often ready for pickup in mid-April. Special accommodations may be possible for earlier delivery, depending on the year. We won't promise anything, but you have a very good chance of making a honey crop your first year with an overwintered nucleus hive. Because they have a second year queen, overwintered nucs are more prone to swarming than spring or summer nucs, and may benefit from requeening before winter. Availability is very dependent on weather and winter survival rates, and sometimes there just aren't enough to sell.

• All nucleus hive purchasers are automatically subscribed to our annual nuc purchaser list, which includes periodic emails regarding what you should be seeing/doing in your hives at a given time of year, as well as anything that we are noticing in our hives that is unique to this year. You may request to opt out via email.