Queens and Nucs

Rectenwald Farms has been producing queens and nucs since 2006 and we currently have two breeds of bees. 

Our primary line is a USDA Russian, which is a hardworking breed that works at lower temperatures than most other bees.  The Russian bee has been proven to be resistant to varroa mites and is almost totally resistant to the trachea mite.  Our Russian bees have not been treated  with any mitecides for over six years. 

The other is an WV Survivor Italian that was discovered in abandoned box gums and were transferred into new equipment in 2007.  They had not been treated with any chemicals or mitecides for at least five years.  While observing these bees, it was noted that they were infested with varroa mites and cleared up the infestation on their own during the 2009 season.  They are also less defensive than the Russian bee. 

We graft our queens from the hardiest of our stock and they are hatched into five frame nucs so they can mate and begin laying eggs.  This allows us to confirm that there is a productive laying pattern before the queen or the nuc are presented to the customer. 

We do ship queens by priority mail, however, queens or nucs may be picked up in person.  By picking them up, shipping time is saved and the customer has the opportunity to ask pertinent questions related to either the installation of the queen or the process to transfer the nuc to a full bodied hive.