Lesson 28: Buying an Established Colony

What to look at before you pay, and how to move it home

Buying a full-size colony from another beekeeper is the fastest way to get started, and sometimes the best. The UGA Bee Program calls buying two established colonies from a reputable local beekeeper "the easiest, and sometimes the best, way to start." But it's also the option with the most risk of buying someone else's problems, so inspect before you buy.

Before you go

• Buy from someone you know or who's recommended, such as a member of your local bee club. Don't buy bees and equipment from a stranger with no history. If you must, take an experienced beekeeper with you.
• Ask for a recent inspection certificate from the state department of agriculture, where one is available.
• Ask about the colony's history: its age, varroa mite levels and treatments, and any disease, especially foulbrood (lesson 58).
• In many states, colonies and used equipment can't be moved across state lines without a permit (lesson 4).

What to check at the hive

Standard equipment. Buy bees only in standard equipment (lesson 17). A typical, well-kept colony has one or two brood boxes on the bottom board with shallower honey supers above. If boxes are arranged oddly, ask why. Non-standard boxes will cause you trouble later.

Condition of the woodenware. The equipment often reflects the care the bees have had. Be suspicious of rotten, unpainted boxes.

Plenty of calm bees. When the hive is opened, the bees should be calm and numerous enough to fill most of the spaces between the combs.

Full boxes of comb. Each box should have at least nine frames of comb.

Good brood. Look at the combs in the brood boxes (lesson 34): - Capped brood is tan to brown and domed, with no holes. - A good queen will have at least five or six combs of brood, laid in a solid pattern with few skipped cells. - An established colony should also have two to three frames of food (honey and pollen).

No signs of disease or pests. Look for spotty brood, sunken or perforated cappings, discolored or melted-looking larvae (lessons 58–60), wax moth larvae or webbing (lesson 65) and small hive beetles (lesson 64). If you see any of these, don't buy until the problem is identified. If you can't tell, ask an experienced beekeeper to look.

A productive queen. You don't have to find her, but you should see eggs and young larvae as proof she's laying (lesson 36).

Moving the colony home

Colonies are easiest to move in winter, when they're lighter and populations are low. If you move one in the growing season, move it in the evening or at night, when the foragers are home.

Moving a hive is a two-person job.

1. Close the entrance with a piece of folded window screen, and seal any cracks with duct tape.
2. Fasten the boxes together and to the bottom board with hive staples or a ratchet strap.
3. Lift the hive into a truck bed or trailer and tie it down tightly.
4. At the new site, set it on its stand, remove the straps and screen, and open the entrance.
5. If stores are low, give them a feeder with light syrup.
6. Let the colony settle for about a week before you inspect it.

An established colony builds up quickly in spring, so be ready to add a honey super soon (lesson 49).

What to remember

• An established colony is the fastest start but carries the most risk; inspect before you buy.
• Check: standard equipment, good woodenware, lots of calm bees, 9+ frames of comb per box, 5–6 frames of solid brood, food stores, and no signs of disease or pests.
• Ask about mites, treatments and foulbrood history, and get an inspection certificate where available.
• Moving a hive is a two-person job: screen the entrance, strap it tight, move in the evening or in winter, open the entrance on arrival.

Quick check

1. Name three things to check inside a colony before buying it.
2. Why be suspicious of a colony in rotten, unpainted boxes?
3. What's the first thing to do after you set a moved hive in place?

Adapted from: UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Buying and Moving Colonies; Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Establishing a Honey Bee Colony (Shabel & Rowe, 2024); Georgia Department of Agriculture, Apiary Program: Honeybees.

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.