For Conroe Pickup at Winding Creek Bee Supply with Julie Norman - call (936) 537-5103 to confirm exact time and details) - Pickup times: 8:00am-12:00pm - address 10417 FM 1485, Conroe, TX 77306
For Driftwood Pickup at Bee Mindful Honey Farms with Nathalie B. - call (512) 699-0605 to confirm exact time and details) - Pickup times: 8:00am-9:00am - address 18049 FM 150, Driftwood TX (look for the 2 large containers and the railguard on FM 150 - NOT on reaves rd)
5 frame NUC of resilient certified Russian bees - great for Treatment-Free OR conventional beekeeping
These certified Russian NUCs are gentle, productive, and frugal, quick to adjust to changing forage, which is essential in Texas.
They exhibit strong varroa tolerance and hygienic behavior (VSH, grooming, natural brood breaks), making them an excellent fit for treatment-free bee yards.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Customers are amazed at how docile and gentle, yet strong and resilient these bees are. 
Certified Russian bees are known for:
- Strong natural resistance and tolerance to Varroa mites, so they do well in natural, treatment-free yards and conventional yards as well 
- Excellent overwintering ability and resource management
- More adaptive brood cycles (they tend to slow down better than others when resources are scarce, which naturally helps with mite levels and survival)
- Generally more efficient use of stores, especially in dearth periods (as opposed to italians and Carniolans lines), which is better in Texas with our brutal summer dearths
"Certified" Russian refers to Russian bees carefully bred through the USDA Russian Honey Bee Breeding program: these are not just any Russians or hybrids like most people are used to. Hybrid Russians of the past were not gentle, these are not hybrids but true Russians. They come from a controlled breeding population with tracked genetics, where breeders carefully maintain specific lines to preserve the traits true Russians are known for (especially mite resistance).
Once established, they become locally adapted to Texas conditions and Texas-tough. As a sideliner with about 400 colonies of my own, these are the only bees I buy these days, as I need them to be gentle but resilient, adaptive, and they work as well in my treatment-free operation as my locally adapted survivor stock. 
Customers also love how gentle and productive these are, and how able to brood back down during dearths, which helps with mite pressure and long term survivability.
 
FEATURES: 
5 drawn frames with brood, food, bees and a certified Russian queen.
These NUCs are young, semi-established colonies that should build up and overwinter well with proper nutrition in their first season.
Because they arrive on their own drawn comb with food and brood, they begin 4-6 weeks ahead of packages picked up at the same time.
Pickup April 11 early morning at Winding Creek Apiaries in Conroe TX (call Julie Norman at (936) - 537-5103 for more info/details/exact times)
 
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To become a truly proficient beekeeper, increase your beekeeping knowledge and your bees' chances of survival, consider registering for one of our comprehensive programs:
Beekeeping Apprenticeship at Bee-Mindful.com/apprenticeships
Beekeeping Intensive 3-day Workshops  at Bee-Mindful.com/workshops (several times in the Spring and Fall)
 
If you would like to try Horizontal Top-Bar Beekeeping, check out the quick and easy Flex Hive Adapter  at www.Bee-Mindful.com/flex-hive
 
If you would like to try one of our Amish handcrafted kits or hives, go to www.Bee-Mindful.com/hives-and-bees