2027 Pre-Order Payment & Cancellation Policy

Your pre-order is paid in full at checkout and reserves a limited early spring production slot — the colony buildup work for your nuc begins months before your pickup date. Here is exactly how it works, no surprises.

• Payment: Early spring pre-orders are $225 per nuc, paid in full at the time of order. Your payment locks in your colony and your March 15 – April 15, 2027 pickup date.
• Cancellation & refund window: Orders may be cancelled for a full refund through December 31, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, our colonies enter active production for the spring season and orders are no longer refundable.
• Need to change plans after the cutoff? Your order never expires on us. We will happily move your reservation to any later available 2027 pickup date, or roll your full payment forward to reserve your colony for spring 2028. One transfer per order.
• Our guarantee to you: If we are unable to supply your nuc for any reason, you receive a full refund — no questions asked.
• Weather adjustments: Early spring schedules depend on weather and colony development. If your pickup date needs to shift, we will contact you in advance and reschedule you at no charge.
• Pickup commitment: Nucs not picked up on the scheduled date without advance notice will be held for 7 days. After 7 days, the order is considered forfeited. These are living colonies and cannot be held indefinitely — please communicate with us and we will work with you.
• Live colonies: As with all live bees, we cannot guarantee colonies after they leave the farm — but our reputation can reassure you. Every nuc is inspected and confirmed queen-right before it leaves our hands, and our consistently high customer ratings reflect a simple standard: we do not let a colony go home with you unless it is one we would be proud to keep ourselves.

Questions about your reservation? Call us at 833-BEE-FARM (833-233-3276) or reach out through our contact form — we are always glad to help.

What Is Included in a Heritage Bee Farm Nuc?

The earliest nucs of the season are the most valuable nucs of the season — and they are always the first to sell out. This pre-order listing reserves your 5-frame nucleus colony for pickup during our premium early spring window, March 20 through April 17, 2027, at our Myakka City, Florida farm.

An early spring nuc gives your colony the single biggest advantage in beekeeping: time. A colony picked up in mid-March has the entire Florida spring nectar flow ahead of it — weeks of buildup that a May colony can never get back. Early colonies draw more comb, raise more brood, and are far more likely to produce harvestable honey in their very first season.

Why Early Spring Pickup Costs More — and Why It's Worth It

Producing a pickup-ready nucleus colony by mid-March means our team begins queen rearing and colony splits in the coolest, most demanding weeks of the Florida season. Early production slots are genuinely limited — we can only build so many colonies to full strength that early in the year. The early spring premium reflects that limited capacity and the added labor of winter buildup management.

• Maximum spring buildup — your colony catches the full nectar flow from the start
• Best odds of first-year honey — early colonies routinely out-produce late-season starts
• Beat the heat — establish and transfer your colony before Florida summer arrives
• Guaranteed early slot — pre-ordering locks in a March 20 – April 17 pickup date before general availability opens

Looking for standard-season pricing? Our regular nucleus colonies with pickup dates after April 15 are available on our main nuc listing.

What Is Included in Your 2027 Nuc

Every Heritage Bee Farm nucleus colony is built to the same standard that drives our commercial queen program:

• 1 new, actively laying mated queen — raised from our proven breeder stock and confirmed laying before pickup
• 5 full-depth Langstroth frames: 2 frames of capped brood and eggs, 1 frame of honey and pollen stores, and 2 drawn frames with supplemental food stores
• A full working population of bees — nurse bees, house bees, and foragers, the majority of them offspring of your queen
• A durable corrugated nuc box that is yours to keep for future splits and swarm catches

How the 2027 Pre-Order Works

• Reserve now — early spring production slots are strictly limited and sold first-come, first-served
• Select your preferred pickup date from the options above (Saturdays, March 15 – April 15, 2027)
• We will confirm your reservation and contact you as your pickup date approaches with final details
• Pickup is at our Myakka City, Florida farm — early morning (8:30–9:30am) is preferred, before the day warms
• If weather or seasonal conditions require a date adjustment, we will contact you in advance and work with you on scheduling

Live nucleus colonies cannot be shipped — all nuc orders are farm pickup only. If you are outside driving range, our mated queens ship nationwide.

Why Order Now for Spring 2027?

Every year, the pattern is the same: the earliest pickup dates are reserved months before spring arrives, and the beekeepers who wait until February find the March slots gone. Pre-ordering now guarantees your colony, your date, and your head start — while the rest of the market is still thinking about next season.

Whether you are a first-time beekeeper who wants the most reliable possible start, an established beekeeper replacing winter losses, or a sideline operation building toward the spring flow, an early spring nuc is the strongest foundation you can give your 2027 season.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this different from your regular nuc listing?

This listing is exclusively for our premium early spring pickup window, March 15 – April 15, 2027. These are our first and most limited production slots of the season. Pickup dates after April 15 are available at standard pricing on our regular nuc listing.

What if I need to change my pickup date?

Contact us as early as possible and we will do our best to accommodate you. Nucs are living colonies and cannot be held indefinitely, but we will work with you whenever we can.

What genetics will my queen be?

Our nuc queens are primarily Italian and Carniolan stock, open-mated at our Florida apiaries and selected for strong honey production, hygienic behavior, Varroa tolerance, and gentleness — genetics evaluated specifically for performance in Florida's subtropical climate.

Can I order multiple nucs?

Yes — select your quantity above. For five or more colonies in the early window, contact us in advance so we can confirm slot availability and coordinate pickup logistics.

I'm a complete beginner — is an early spring nuc right for me?

Absolutely. An early nuc is actually the most forgiving start a new beekeeper can have, because your colony has the longest possible runway to establish before summer. Have your hive equipment fully assembled before pickup day and plan to install the same day.

Backed by a Commercial Florida Operation

Heritage Bee Farm is a family-owned commercial operation managing thousands of colonies across Central Florida. Queen production is the core of what we do, and every nucleus colony we sell is an extension of that program — the same breeder stock, the same standards, the same weeks of skilled labor behind every colony that leaves our farm.

Select your early spring pickup date above and reserve your 2027 colony today. Spring will be here before you know it — and so will your bees.