Feb would a pair of Spriggans be too much for a 2nd level party of 4? thinking that equates to an EL 5? Need couple of large monsters for end fight in large bee adv. Need large handlers.. advice appreciated.
To your initial question, not necessarily. Challenging but far from impossible, it really depends on what types of characters are in the party and how the players work together.
They have a cleric of Freya, trad. rogue, sorceror, and a halfling barbarian Titan mauler
Assuming a balanced/stereotypical party composition, it may be fine. The encounter design table calls that a "hard" encounter, not "epic." Seems appropriate for the end fight.
First and foremost, be aware that the spriggans can use "scare" at-will. This has the potential to TPK the party. It is easy to imagine half the party fleeing while the spriggans gang up on the remaining PCs, especially if they cannot easily flee as well.
That aside, some things to consider that may be even more important than the listed/apparent CR:
How well-rested/prepared is the party? Are their resources drained? Do they know about the spriggans?
Are there also bees there to fight, or is just the spriggans?
Is there a chance for surprise on either side (maybe the spriggans are busy with their work and not expecting infiltrators)?
Do the spriggans have standard gear, or is it lesser or greater? Is it equipped or at-hand, or again, are they not expecting trouble and busy at work?
Can you devise terrain features that will advantage the PCs but not the spriggans? Sometimes having several terrain/environmental features available that are not obvious can be a good approach. That way if things look too difficult you can point out a potential advantage that the desperate player may have overlooked.
Party just cleared out bee nest that took over the town bridge, last encounter was queen bee which was cr 5 on her own, i forgot to lower hd for lower party level.. But they still managed to beat with no fatalities and minimal stat damage. Party will be well rested, they all have high end point buy so better than average stats, meaning good saves. They found large tracks that they did not identify after clearing out bees, I was toying with having them run into spriggans as small so as not to give it away initially, have the spriggans discover dead bees and double back to confront at lair.
Haven't thought about treasure or terrain yet..