For beekeepers
How to get bees, from cheapest to most certain
There are four ways to put bees in an empty box, and they trade cost against certainty in that order. Buying is the certain end, and it got sharply dearer last year: USDA NASS put nucs up 19% and packages up 24% in 2025, the largest single-year rises in that series. That is what makes the free end worth a second look, and 24,894 honey bee swarms were reported this season in the states we track.
The four options side by side
| Option | Cost | What you get | When | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | $110 national average, more at retail | Loose bees by weight plus a caged queen, no comb | Ordered in winter, collected April to May | Queen acceptance can fail, and the colony starts from nothing |
| Nucleus colony | $130 national average, $185 to $325 retail | Established colony, laying queen, drawn comb, brood | Pre-ordered in winter, pickup May to June | Highest cash cost, and you inherit the seller's genetics and mites |
| Caught swarm | Free, plus a box and about an hour | A large mated colony with local genetics, no comb | Spring, at no notice, wherever one is reported | Can abscond in the first week, and the queen is unproven |
| Split from your own hive | Free, or $22 if you buy a queen | Bees and comb from stock you already know | Anytime you have a strong colony to divide | Sets your existing hive back, and needs a colony to split |
National averages are USDA NASS figures for the 2025 marketing year, covering operations with five or more colonies. Retail prices for a beekeeper buying one or two run higher than the commercial average, which is why both are shown. The full series, back to 1987 and adjusted for inflation, is on bee and honey prices.
Is a caught swarm really a substitute for a nuc?
Partly, and it is worth being precise about where the comparison breaks. A nuc arrives as a working colony: drawn comb, brood in all stages, and a queen the seller has already seen laying. A swarm arrives as a crowd of bees with full stomachs and nothing else. It has to draw comb from scratch, the queen is unproven until she starts laying, and roughly one in five will abscond within the first week if the box does not suit them.
What a swarm has instead is momentum and local genetics. A prime swarm in spring is a large workforce with no brood to feed, which is why a well-hived one often overtakes a nuc bought the same month. Beekeepers who work swarms regularly tend to price two caught colonies as roughly one bought nuc, which at retail still puts a single successful catch somewhere near $100 of value for an hour of work.
The real constraint is not quality, it is timing. You cannot order a swarm. It happens when it happens, usually on a weekday afternoon, and whoever hears about it first gets it.
How many are actually out there
24,894 honey bee swarms have been reported to Swarmed this season across the states we publish data for. Each one was a free colony for whichever beekeeper nearby heard about it first, so the real price of a swarm is hearing about it in time.
The two calendars do not line up, and that is the opportunity
Nucs and packages are ordered in winter for a pickup date months later, which means the decision to spend the money is made in December or January, well before anyone knows what the spring will bring. Swarm season arrives afterwards, and it is free.
The cheap version of hedging that is to order fewer nucs than you need, set a swarm trap or two for about $40 each, and take alerts for reported swarms near you. If the swarms come, you saved the difference. If they do not, you still have the colonies you ordered.
Common questions
- What is the cheapest way to get bees?
- Catching a swarm, which costs nothing beyond a box and an hour of your time. Splitting a colony you already own is the next cheapest. Buying is the most certain and the most expensive: packages averaged $110 and nucs $130 nationally in 2025, with retail prices for one or two colonies running $185 to $325.
- Can you really get bees for free?
- Yes, by collecting a reported swarm. Homeowners who find a swarm generally want it gone rather than paid for, and beekeepers collect them at no charge. 24,894 honey bee swarms were reported this season in the states we track, so the supply is real. The catch is timing rather than cost: you have to hear about it while the swarm is still there.
- Is a nuc or a package better for a beginner?
- A nuc, in most cases. It arrives as a working colony with drawn comb, brood and a laying queen, so it is weeks ahead of a package and much harder to lose in the first month. A package costs less and is easier to transport, but it starts with no comb and a queen the colony has not accepted yet.
- How do I find swarms near me?
- Swarmed sends nearby beekeepers a text, WhatsApp message or email the moment a swarm is reported, with the location and photos attached. It is free, there is no association membership required, and you set the distance you are willing to travel.