<aside>
Home | Queens | Starter Colonies | Honey | Advice | Why Us? | My Account | Basket |
</aside>
Strong five-frame Buckfast colonies that have already come through a Welsh winter with a laying queen they know. Ready to build fast from early spring.
<aside>
Reserve your overwintered nuc, £350 with free UK delivery.
Healthy arrival guaranteed, or we'll sort it. No arguments.
[Reserve my colony]
</aside>
Most people starting out get handed a small summer split or a swarm and spend the season nervous about whether it will build up in time for winter. An overwintered nuc takes that worry off the table. These bees have already done a winter together, so they arrive strong and ready to go.
A nuc, short for nucleus colony, is a small working colony built around a laying queen, a few frames of brood, and the bees to cover them. An overwintered nuc is one that was built the previous summer, fed and prepared for the cold, and kept through the winter as a colony.
That extra time matters. A summer nuc is created fresh in season and starts small. An overwintered nuc has already proved it can survive the hardest part of the year. The queen has laid through a full cycle, and the workers have done a winter together. When it lands on your doorstep in spring, it is not starting from scratch. It carries on from where it left off.
A summer nuc gives you a fresh start. An overwintered nuc gives you a head start.
Because the colony is already established when it arrives, you see rapid build-up from the first warm spell rather than waiting for a small colony to find its feet. That brings two real advantages. You get more bees earlier in the season, and you stand a far better chance of a honey crop in your first year.
For anyone adding to an apiary, or a newer beekeeper who wants the strongest possible footing, an overwintered colony is the more reliable choice.
Proven survivors. Every colony has come through a full winter here in our care, with a queen who has already shown she can perform.
Calm Buckfast bees. Temperament is our top breeding priority. Our F1 Buckfast queens are bred for calm handling, disease resistance, and strong honey production.
Free Paynes poly nuc. Worth over £75 and included with every order. It is ventilated, purpose-built for postal delivery, and the safest way for your bees to travel.
Healthy arrival, guaranteed. Every colony ships by Royal Mail Special Delivery. If anything arrives in poor condition, send us a photo and we'll sort it.