The most practical way for new honeybee keepers to get your bees is by ordering them from local breeders or beekeepers
. If bee packages aren't available locally, don't worry. They have been successfully shipped by the US Post Office for years.
You can go online and search for individual honey beekeepers and beekeeping clubs to contact when you are ready in buying your very first package of bees. Getting in touch with beekeeping organizations is also a good way to reach out and learn from more experienced beekeepers.
Many breeders can be found in the southern part of the country, but don't be mistaken - there are breeders in the northern states as well.
Packages may be the best choice for honeybees and beekeeping beginners. The package bees are cheaper than established or the nucleus colonies. Also, the possibility of the broods having a disease is slim. Beginners should be able to handle them easily and have the hive ready before ordering.
Bee packages are small; usually not much bigger than a common shoe box. The package consists of 2 or 3 pounds of bees, a queen in a separate cage, and a canister of sugar syrup used to feed the bees during transport. They are shipped in a special screen mailing cages usually through the U.S. Postal Service. A regular package of bees can contain several thousand individual bees.
The package bees may not produce a honey crop the first year. It will be more difficult to judge the queen with no brood yet. The strain of being transported can lead to an unproductive queen. Also, if the weather is bad, you might have a difficult time in introducing the bees into the hives.
Smart beekeepers will be ready to feed the bees until the start of the nectar flow.