PACKAGE BEE PICK UP DAY
SATURDAY April 12th
There will not be extra packages to purchase on pick-up day; you must have placed a pre-order in order to get bees.
The pick-up times below are suggestions aimed at reducing waiting time when you arrive – you may certainly come when it is most convenient for you during our store hours. Picking up your bees at the suggested time is preferred, but we realize this may not be ideal!
Package bee orders will be available for pickup on Saturday, April 12th at Shonnard’s Nursery between the hours of 7:30 am and 10:30 am.
PICK UP TIMES
7:30am: Last names A – F
8:30am: Last names G – M
9:30am: Last names N – R
10:30am: Last names S – Z
Questions? Call us at (541) 929-3524 or email bees@shonnards.com
PICK-UP LOCATION:
Shonnard’s Nursery, 6600 SW Philomath Blvd, Corvallis OR 97333
Package bee purchases are for PICK-UP AT OUR STORE IN CORVALLIS ONLY. WE DO NOT SHIP PACKAGES.
CLICK HERE FOR INSTALLATION VIDEO – FROM OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Be sure to have your hive equipment assembled, painted, and ready for your bees. You will also need some sugar syrup made ahead of time (cooled to room temperature) to feed your bees once they are installed in the hive. Protein patties are also a good addition – your bees have no pollen or honey in reserve. Full instructions detailing how to install your bees and hang the queen cage will be provided when you pick up your bees.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Upon your arrival, enter our store through the main doors and check-in at our floral counter located on the south side of our store. We’ll ask for your name to find your order, give you a copy of installation instructions, and then send you out to get your bees.
NOT ABLE TO PICK-UP YOUR BEES ON APRIL 12TH?
- Packaged bees truly need to be installed immediately into a hive. If bad weather or other scheduling conflicts require you to install them the day after pick-up day, be aware that there may be some dead bees in the package, and the bees must be sprayed with sugar water to keep them hydrated and energized.
- If you cannot pick up your bees on the established pick-up day, try your best to coordinate with a friend or family member who could do it for you. We have a video tutorial on installing a package of bees that shows how they could get the bees installed for you if need be.
- We do not have the resources to sustain the bees in a package at our garden center, so it is very important that you are able to promptly pick up your bees and get them installed into a hive box setup.
- When you’re notified of the pick-up day, and you discover there is no way that you or a friend could pick-up your bees on pick-up day, then please call us at 541-929-3524 to discuss options.
Last Chance to pre-order nucleus hives!
We have reached our limit this year for Package Bees and Fresh Nuc Bees.
Our vendor has kindly agreed to sell Standard Nucs to help supply those beekeepers who still need to order bees this year. The Standard Nuc differs from the Fresh Nuc in that it uses established frames from existing colonies rather than fresh wax drawn this year. We will be taking pre-orders for nucleus hives until approximately mid-May, or to be determined sooner.
Learn more about nucleus hives HERE.
You can order online, or give us a call at 541-929-3524, as well as come to our store!
Shonnard’s Queen Replacement Policy
Shonnard’s is proud to supply mated queens for local beekeepers. We know that not every queen will settle into their new colonies. Because of this, we offer free replacement queens within 1 week (7 days) of installation with these conditions.
Failed queens must have been purchased directly from Shonnards in one of these forms:
- A package
- A nuc
- A banked queen (queen purchased singly in a wooden cage)
Dead queen must be returned to the store in her cage in order to receive a free replacement queen.
Installation must have been completed promptly and properly
- Queen installed immediately after purchase
- Queen release procedures followed
- Candy plug release
- Caged queen can be accessed by workers