New England Beekeeping Supplies (The Colony)

Category: Equipment Also called: New England Beekeeping Supplies Inc.; NE Beekeeping; The Colony (Tyngsboro, Massachusetts), home of New England Beekeeping, Carlisle Honey and Honeybound Meadery; thecolonyma.com

What it is

New England Beekeeping Supplies is a beekeeping supply business run by working commercial beekeepers in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, on the New Hampshire line north of Lowell. Its Our Story page says founder Rick Reault started the company in 2006 after ten years of sideline beekeeping, that the operation now runs about 1,000 colonies in more than 70 yards, provides pollination for over 20 New England growers, and trucks package bees up from Rossman Apiaries in Georgia several times a year. Since April 2019 it has traded from The Colony at 7 Locust Ave, a single site that also houses the Carlisle Honey brand and Honeybound Meadery. The first-party Shopify store on thecolonyma.com sells complete hive setups, woodenware, frames, covers, protective clothing, tools, feed and supplements, mite treatments and honey-harvest gear, plus 2027 package bees and queens, with posted prices and a cart. This listing is for the beekeeping supply store with an official cart and on-page prices, not the honey brand, the meadery, or a club.

Official URL

New England Beekeeping Supplies page: https://thecolonyma.com/pages/new-england-beekeeping

Official shop (The Colony): https://thecolonyma.com/

Beekeeping supplies collection: https://thecolonyma.com/collections/new-england-beekeeping-supplies

Complete hive setups: https://thecolonyma.com/collections/complete-hive-setups

Example product (10 Frame Complete Hive Setups): https://thecolonyma.com/products/10-frame-complete-hive-setups

Example product (8 Frame Complete Hive Setup): https://thecolonyma.com/products/8-frame-hive-set-up

Example product (Assembled Hive Body): https://thecolonyma.com/products/assembled-hive-body

Example product (Frames): https://thecolonyma.com/products/frames

Honey harvest tools: https://thecolonyma.com/collections/honey-harvest

Package bees (2027): https://thecolonyma.com/collections/package-bees

Packages, nucs and queens policy: https://thecolonyma.com/pages/return-policy

Refund policy: https://thecolonyma.com/policies/refund-policy

Our Story (New England Beekeeping): https://thecolonyma.com/pages/our-story-new-england-beekeeping

Contact: https://thecolonyma.com/pages/contact-us

Cart: https://thecolonyma.com/cart

Last checked

2026-11-04. All URLs above returned HTTP 200 with a desktop Chrome user agent on that date.

FAQ

Q: Where is the store and when is it open?
A: The site footer gives the address 7 Locust Ave, Tyngsboro, MA 01879. The Contact page lists phone (978) 957-2233 and store hours Monday–Friday 9 am–5 pm, Saturday 9 am–5 pm and Sunday 10 am–2 pm. The New England Beekeeping page says you can stop by or call with beekeeping questions and one of the staff beekeepers will help.

Q: Does it have an online store and cart?
A: Yes. thecolonyma.com runs a Shopify store with collection pages, product pages with “Add to cart” buttons and a cart at /cart (HTTP 200 when checked). Some items, such as telescoping outer covers and the Pro Nuc box, are marked local pick-up only.

Q: What does a complete hive cost?
A: As listed 2026-11-04, the 10 Frame Complete Hive Setups product starts at $309.00 (not painted, plastic frames) and runs to $429.00 (painted, wood frames); the traditional setup includes a bottom board, 2 deeps, 2 mediums, a queen excluder, an inner cover, a telescoping outer cover and the chosen frames. A 5-medium version runs $334.00–$454.00. The 8 Frame Complete Hive Setup is $289.00–$395.00 for the traditional build, or $314.00–$420.00 for the 5-medium build. Bees are not included. Prices change; check the live page.

Q: What woodenware and tools are sold individually?
A: Examples on the check date: Assembled Hive Body (pine, pre-drilled) at $20.00 shallow, $23.00 medium and $25.00 deep; frames from $3.50 for a single medium plastic frame to $45.00 for a 10-pack of deep wood frames with plastic inserts, or $165.00 for a 52-frame case of deep plastic; telescoping outer covers $34.00; inner covers $17.00; hive tools $12.00–$19.95; and honey-harvest items such as an electric uncapping knife ($79.00), a double sieve ($29.00), an uncapping tub kit ($199.00) and a bottling bucket with gate ($29.50).

Q: Can I get bees there?
A: Yes, for pickup only. The Package bees collection lists 2027 3 lb packages of Italian bees from Rossman Apiaries: $174.00 with an unmarked queen or $179.00 with a marked queen, for anticipated pickup on Monday, April 5, 2027 or Monday, April 12, 2027 at The Colony. The packages, nucs and queens policy says package and nuc orders can be cancelled up to 30 days before delivery with a $10 fee per package or nuc; packages must be picked up on the scheduled day; there are no returns after pickup; a caged queen found dead within 24 hours is replaced; and the business does not ship packages, nucs or queens. Queens on the site are marked “Please Call for Availability,” in-store purchase only.

Q: What is the return policy for supplies?
A: The Refund policy page describes a 30-day return window for items in the same, unused condition with proof of purchase, started by emailing [email protected]; sale items and gift cards cannot be returned; approved refunds go back to the original payment method within 10 business days. On the check date that page still contained an unfilled template placeholder (“[INSERT RETURN ADDRESS]”), and the shipping-policy page was blank, so confirm return and shipping terms with the store before ordering.

Q: Does it also teach classes or offer extraction?
A: Yes. The Bee School page says New England Beekeeping teaches 2027 beginner schools through Acton-Boxborough Community Education (Saturdays 9:30–11:30 am from January 23, 2027) and at the Tyngsboro Council on Aging (Sunday evenings, dates to be announced), with the Penn State “Beekeeping Basics” book included. The New England Beekeeping page also offers a paid honey-extraction service in its extraction room and extractor rentals (call for pricing). This listing covers the store; the classes are not listed separately.

Q: Is this an official or affiliated listing?
A: Neither. Beekeeping Plaza is not affiliated with New England Beekeeping Supplies, The Colony, Carlisle Honey or Honeybound Meadery. No purchase, contact or form was made; the cart was only checked for an HTTP 200. The New England Beekeeping page still carries an older “Packages and Nucs for 2025” heading even though the package collection is for 2027. This is the site’s first Massachusetts Equipment listing (Massachusetts already has Local clubs and Learning entries).