Bee Delivery Information
When our order of packaged bees is ready, we will contact everyone who has placed a deposit. The most efficient means of communication is through Facebook. So, if you have placed an order for bees, please like us on Facebook ASAP, so that you can receive any updates.
We aim to pick up bees so we are doing the deliveries on the weekend. This is not guaranteed, but we will do everything to make it happen. Normally, the apiary gives us 1 to 2 weeks’ notice. As soon as we hear from them, we will post it through email, and on our website and Facebook. At that time, we will ask to make your payment in full. This will make the drop off quicker for everyone. If spring is late and it is still cold in the northeast we may postpone the delivery. The bees will do nothing in a new hive anyway except ball up to keep warm.
If you have questions about the delivery please contact us soon. When it comes time for the delivery we cannot keep up with the phone calls. This is why we try to do a lot on Facebook. We will have a couple hundred people getting bees from us and it is a little hectic to have everyone calling at same time. We will post where we are and what our next couple of stops are, and the approximate time. We need everyone there on time or early to ensure that we can get everyone their bees in time. If we hit any delays due to traffic etc., we will post that right away so that you are not sitting at your pickup for an extended period. There are some dead spots where we will not have service, so we will post ahead a couple stops in case we lose communication.
When you get your packages you will want to install that afternoon or if it is too late in the day, then the following afternoon. Please have all your equipment and sugar water ready before hand.
Countdown to Ordering Your Bees
Hello, my name is John Stanley. I have been interested in honey bees for years. Finally, with my wife's consent I got two hives. My wife, Toni, and my two children picked up the bees on Mother's Day and installed them on our farm. From that moment on we were hooked on honey bees.
The first year we were not able to extract honey, but it was very rewarding watching the bees grow and build out the boxes. We took the beginners bee keeping course at Rutgers and joined several beekeeping organizations. We got help from our fellow bee keepers and both of our hives made it through the winter. In the spring we started six new hives, I caught five swarms, and removed five hives from houses. My love for the honey bee has grown almost into an obsession.
We are located in Hightstown, NJ, and proudly serve the northeast region.
Call us today at (424) 246 6392.
The first year we were not able to extract honey, but it was very rewarding watching the bees grow and build out the boxes. We took the beginners bee keeping course at Rutgers and joined several beekeeping organizations. We got help from our fellow bee keepers and both of our hives made it through the winter. In the spring we started six new hives, I caught five swarms, and removed five hives from houses. My love for the honey bee has grown almost into an obsession.
We are located in Hightstown, NJ, and proudly serve the northeast region.
Call us today at (424) 246 6392.
The Honey Bee is essential for pollination of our agriculture. We depend on honey bee pollination for a 1/3 of our food source in the United States. There are more than 100 crops that depend on honey bee pollination, such as almonds and blueberries. The honey bee is the most efficient and thorough pollinator of all. It would be unfathomable to imagine, what it would be like if we were to lose the honey bee. How would we be able to pollinate everything they do? Besides our crops, the honey bee pollinates the wild fruits and nuts. Nature’s creatures depend on that to eat and feed on, to ensure their survival. It is an important part to the circle of life. If we lost the honey bee every part of our ecosystem would be affected and not in a good or unnoticeable way.
Honey bees are the only insects that manufacture food that humans consume (pure raw honey). Honey has a list of benefits for humans both internal and externally. Benefits from honey have been linked to gastrointestinal ulcer healing, a gentle laxative, and reliever of allergies (use your most local and raw honey). A teaspoon before bed is said to help with insomnia. Honey contains natural antibiotics. Honey when applied topically speeds healing of tissues damaged from infection or trauma. Honey can also be used in 1st 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Garlic honey can be applied directly to wounds, which helps clean an infected area. Honey is also used as a natural sweetener. Honey never goes bad.
- The honey bee has been around for millions of years.
- It is the only insect that provides edible food to be eaten by man.
- A honey bee’s wing stroke is close to 200 beats per second which produces the buzzing sound that we all hear from time to time and can fly up to 6 miles.
- A honey bee can visit from 50 to 100 flowers per flight.
- The queen can live from 2 to 5 years and is the only bee in the hive to lay fertilized eggs. 1500 to 2500 eggs per day.
- Each honey bee colony has its own distinct odor for the bees’ identification when returning to the hive.
- Only the worker bees, which are females, sting. Once they sting they die.
- Worker bees that are born in the early season will live up to 6 weeks; while those born in the fall will live throughout the winter and into the spring.
- The male honey bees, called drones, do not have a stinger. There job is to mate the queen. They live for about 8 weeks.
- Honey bees communicate by dancing (The Waggle Dance).
- During the winter months the honey bees survive on the honey they collected in the summer.
- Raw honey never spoils.
- Honey bees are not aggressive, unlike the wasps or hornets.
Basic Equipment for the Rookie Beekeeper
When entering into the world of beekeeping, there are a few basic, but necessary components you are going to want to purchase for a safe and successful time with the Honeybees. First, a beehive needs to be built sturdy enough to withstand whatever Mother Nature chooses to throw at it. One of the most popular methods for keeping bees is the Langstroth beehive patented in October of 1852. This hive is designed to help make the beekeepers job easier by using easily removed frames and the ease of adding more room to the hive by adding additional boxes.
The basic beehive to start a colony would include one bottom board, which supports the upper boxes while maintaining an entrance for the bees, and two deep Brood boxes that hold ten frames each, where the bees raise the brood and have their pollen and honey stores for the winter. Any additional boxes are considered surplus honey and may be harvested by the beekeeper. The nectar flow for the area will determine your surplus honey.
The Two bottom brood boxes must be built out before additional boxes can be applied on top. The bees will always put their honey stores above brood boxes. Depending on the nectar flow for the area, you may need a feeder to start a new colony of bees or to bulk the colony up for the winter. Top feeders work very well for either one of those situations. The top feeder allows the bees to come up through the closed hive, even in poor weather conditions, to feed. Check with your area for a list of plants and dates for your nectar flow, so you can determine whether to be feeding or applying more boxes to the colony.
The next component is the inner cover, which fits on the top box. This is generally has a flush side and a deep side. The flush side is to be pointed towards the colony during the nectar flow, so it keeps the bees from building comb over the top bars. The deep side is to be pointed towards the colony when there is not a nectar flow or during the winter months, to allow the bees to move freely over the top bars and feed. The inner cover has a hole in the center to allow some moisture to escape so that condensation does not build up and drip on the bees, chilling them.
The last component is the telescoping outer cover. This fits over the top box and inner cover. It overhangs the hive approximately 2” and helps seal the hive from the elements.
Additional tools that you may need as a beekeeper include a smoker, hive tool, vale or jacket and gloves. There are a lot of tools and equipment on the market. These are the basics you will need.
The basic beehive to start a colony would include one bottom board, which supports the upper boxes while maintaining an entrance for the bees, and two deep Brood boxes that hold ten frames each, where the bees raise the brood and have their pollen and honey stores for the winter. Any additional boxes are considered surplus honey and may be harvested by the beekeeper. The nectar flow for the area will determine your surplus honey.
The Two bottom brood boxes must be built out before additional boxes can be applied on top. The bees will always put their honey stores above brood boxes. Depending on the nectar flow for the area, you may need a feeder to start a new colony of bees or to bulk the colony up for the winter. Top feeders work very well for either one of those situations. The top feeder allows the bees to come up through the closed hive, even in poor weather conditions, to feed. Check with your area for a list of plants and dates for your nectar flow, so you can determine whether to be feeding or applying more boxes to the colony.
The next component is the inner cover, which fits on the top box. This is generally has a flush side and a deep side. The flush side is to be pointed towards the colony during the nectar flow, so it keeps the bees from building comb over the top bars. The deep side is to be pointed towards the colony when there is not a nectar flow or during the winter months, to allow the bees to move freely over the top bars and feed. The inner cover has a hole in the center to allow some moisture to escape so that condensation does not build up and drip on the bees, chilling them.
The last component is the telescoping outer cover. This fits over the top box and inner cover. It overhangs the hive approximately 2” and helps seal the hive from the elements.
Additional tools that you may need as a beekeeper include a smoker, hive tool, vale or jacket and gloves. There are a lot of tools and equipment on the market. These are the basics you will need.
The first route starts in northern New Jersey and heads into Connecticut, north to Massachusetts and Vermont. Then, down through New Hampshire and back into Massachusetts and Connecticut.
There are also two pickup locations:
- 94 Disbrow Hill Road, East Windsor, NJ
- Lincoln, NH
Please Note: The route is set. If you do not see a stop convenient for you, please contact us. While we will not modify the roads, we may be able to make additional stops.
Connecticut Route - Outbound
| # | Exit/Stop | Description | Approximate Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-84 East Exit 2 | The Connecticut Welcome Center - Truck Side | 7:30AM |
| 2 | I-84 East Exit 10 | Blue Colony Diner | 8:00AM |
| 3 | I-84 East Exit 17 | Park 'n Ride | 8:45AM |
| 4 | I-84 East East of Exit 28 | Rest Area | 9:00AM |
| 6 | I-84 East Exit 39 |
Park 'n Ride Farmington Ave & State Hwy 508 Farmington, CT 06032 |
10:00AM |
| 7 | I-91 Exit 39 |
Park 'n Ride |
10:30AM |
Massachusetts Route West
| # | Exit/Stop | Description | Approximate Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-91 South of Exit 24 | Rest Area | 11:45AM |
Vermont Route
| # | Exit/Stop | Description | Approximate Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-91 North Exit 1 | Outlet Store - Brattleboro | 1:00PM |
| 2 | I-91 North Exit 6 | Red Barn Store next to offramp | 1:30PM |
| 3 | I-91 North Exit 8 | Park 'n Ride | 2:00PM |
| 4 | I-91 North Exit 9 |
park 'n ride |
2:45PM |
| 5 | I-89 Exit 1 |
Mobil Station 3479 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT 05059 |
3:30PM |
| 6 | I-89 North Exit 8 | Park 'n Ride - Montpellier | 4:30M |
| 7 | Route 2 at Marty's | Dannville | 5:45PM |
| 8 | Route 2 | Irving - Past highways | 6:00PM |
New Hampshire Route
Massachusetts Route East
Connecticut Route - Return
- I-84 West Exit 68.
New York Route - 2nd Delivery Run Only
- Route 84 - Newburgh Mall
- I-87 Thruway Exit 18 - College Diner
- I-87 Thruway Rest Area North of Exit 20
- I-87 Thruway North of Exit 21B - New Baltimore Service Center
- I-87 Thruway Exit 23 at Sunoco Station
- I-90 Thruway Exit 27 - Minaville Road (Rt 30) - Amsterdam
- I-90 Thruway Exit 28 - Futtonville at Dunkin Donuts
- I-90 Thruway Exit 29 - Better Beaver Fuel Store
- I-90 Iroquois Travel Plaza - Westbound side just east of Exit 29a
- McDonald's Rest Area - West of where Route 11 crosses I90
- I-90 Thruway Exit 32 - Westmoreland - Cider Street
- I-90 Thruway Exit 34 - Camastota - McDonald's
- I-81 Exit 25 - Pilot Travel Center
- I-90 Thruway Exit 42
- Rt 96 South - Waterloo - Ciccino's Pizzaria Parking Lot
- Rt 96 South - Ovid - At McDonald's
- Ithaca NY - 701 West Buffalo Street, Ithaca, NY - Green Star Food
- I-81 Exit 8 - Dunkin Donuts
- I-81 Exit 1