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About our Bees

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For more than a decade, Wings of Nature has engaged in selective honeybee breeding to bring out the bees’ own genetic strengths. We sell bee nucs, queens, and hives, based on the needs for your apiary.  To buy or reserve your bees, click on the links below, or visit our SHOP page.  

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Nucs

5-Frame Nucs

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Pick up in Pescadero or Los Altos Hills 

Or delivery with fee  

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The ‘nuc’ (short for nucleus) is the heart of a new hive of bees. Complete with an established queen, bees, brood , and drawn comb, transferring a nuc into standard beekeeping equipment, or Langstroth Hives is a simple approach for  beekeepers.   

 

All Wings of Nature nucs include:

  • Young, mated queen bee

  • 5 frames of worker bees and brood

  • Sufficient honey and pollen stores

  • Cardboard nuc box for lightweight transport

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Queens

California Queens

 

Queens for pick-up or shipping April – August 

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We look at queens with reverence, amazed at her ability to lay a thousand eggs a day, to carry forward the traits of gentleness and productivity. Quality, young, mated queens are available throughout April – August, with discounts for larger quantity purchases.

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Shipping less than 20 queens is a flat $26 express from USPS.  For orders over 20 we ship overnight via UPS.  Please choose the appropriate delivery or pick-up option for your purchase. 

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Pricing:

  • 1 to 4 queens       $50 each

  • 5 to 9 queens      $42 each

  • 10 to 24 queens  $35 each

  • 25 or more           $30 each

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Single Story Beehives​

 

Pick-up in Pescadero or Los Altos Hills

or delivery with fee

 

For those starting or growing an apiary, a full beehive offers a turn-key option.  Wings of Nature beehives include:

  • Raw Ponderosa pine hive body

  • 8 frames and 1 internal feeder frame

  • Hive lid and bottom entrance board

  • Young and proven mated queen bee

  • 7 frames full of worker bees and brood

  • Sufficient honey and pollen stores

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Beehives
FAQ

Package Bees

 

Pick-up in Pescadero or Los Altos Hills

or delivery with fee

 

For those wishing to keep bees in alternative hive styles such as top bar, warre' or skeps we offer package bees.  Package bees consist of;

  • A young and vibrant mated queen

  • 3 pounds of worker bees

  • Wood and wire package for easy transportation and installation 

  • Sugar syrup to sustain bees while in transport

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More about what makes Wings bees special
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Breeding Program
At the heart of Wings of Nature is our queen breeding program.  In partnership with Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Wings of Nature has been able to further refine queen breeding, with nearly a decade of  selective honey bee breeding.  We can work directly with the bees to help bring out their own genetic strengths, particularly because we work in a natural, isolated region allowing strong influence over our open-mated queen bees.   At Wings of Nature we select for:
  • Resilience
  • Mite-resistance
  • Gentleness
  • Productivity 
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Bee Races?
We are often asked what 'race' or 'sub-species' of honey bees we keep.  We select our bees based on behavioral traits and desirable attributes.  We do not base our selection on the physical characteristics, such as coloration, that define sub-species.
 
Mite Resistance
We breed 'Mite-Resistant'  bees.  While there is no such thing as 'Mite-Proof' bees, by tracking the natural mite resistance in our colonies over many years we have been able to select from stock that shows outstanding resistance to mite infestations.  Of particular interest to any beekeeper, but especially valuable to those choosing natural beekeeping methods, mite resistant genetics can be a key factor in your Integrated Pest Management plan.  
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Locally Adapted Bee Stock
All beekeeping is local, and rearing bee stock that is adapted to a particular region is a key factor in improving our nation’s honeybee health.  Wings of Nature raises bees that thrive amongst the challenges and opportunities of the many Mediterranean micro-climates of the San Francisco Bay Area. Our breeding selections are based on the bees that thrive here, and some of our stock originates from feral hives that have survived - unmanaged - in California mountains for decades.  Local adaptation is key for honeybee health.
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