How can we help?

Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering

How Do I Order Online From You?

Our website is designed to take online orders, so you can add what you'd like to your cart and checkout directly online through our store. This is preferable to over calling in orders or through email. But we will do all we can to help if ordering online isn't possible.

Orders can be made online and pick up in our store as well. Including curbside pickup as well.

What kinds of payments do you take?
  • VISA
  • MasterCard
  • AMEX
  • DISCOVER
  • ApplePay
  • GooglePay
  • etc

All of the above and cash are accepted in person. We can also do Venmo as well.

Do you have a catalogue?

We do not have a catalog in the traditional sense that you can flip through with a cup of coffee. We are working on something along the lines of it that you can view easily though. Stay tuned.

Do you have coupon codes or run sales?

Sometimes, but you're not gonna find them on those coupon websites. They would only come through our Facebook, Instagram or email on special occasions. Follow along on those platforms so you can get them when we send them out.

The website isn't working and I can't order, what do I do?

Send us a message and we can help. Do it through our Contact Us page.

Can I just stop by and pick up what I need from your store?

We run limited store hours right now, so check our contact us page or our google page for more info on when you can swing by.

I'm trying to find __________, but I can't find it on your website. What now?

Try using our search bar or look around our shop to find it there. Our online store is well organized, so you shouldn't have a problem finding it if it is there. There is a search bar on each page. If still having trouble, go to this link and search there as well. You'll get more details about supplies using that search.

Do you match prices with Mann Lake?

The biggest difference between us and Mann Lake is our woodenware. Our woodenware is all made from cypress wood and is an excellent wood for beekeeping and a much higher quality than nearly all other suppliers. So we are not able to match their prices.

We are Mann Lake dealers, so we can get all of their supplies in for you. We will even match their 9% March Madness deal all year long! Minimum of $200 order for special orders from Mann Lake and local pickup.

Return Policy

I ordered something by mistake, can I return it?

Yes, we take returns or exchanges up to 30 days after supplies have been received. Just make sure we receive the items being returned in new condition so they can be placed back in inventory. Just contact us and request a refund, we will need your order number.

How do I exchange my clothing for a different size?

If you'd like to return the clothing or exchange it, that is perfectly fine and we are happy to help. Just return it in new condition within 30 days of receiving it. You will need to ship it back to us and tell us what size you would like to have. We would cover the shipping if there was a mistake on our part.

My order arrived damaged, what now?

It happens and we try our best to keep it from happening, but it's just the nature of the beast. Send us some pictures and we will see what we can do. We may send a replacement, refund, or give credit for it. Regardless of what we do, we'll make it right so that you are happy. We aren't jerks and do our best to help in these situations, even if Fedex pushes it down the interstate.

I didn't get what I ordered, how do I get the right supplies?

This happens sometimes because we all make mistakes. Sendus a messageand tell us what happened and we'll get the right order out to you.

Can gift cards be returned?

Gift cards are non-refundable.

Do you charge a restocking fee?

If your return is sent back to us within 30-days of receiving it and it's returned in new condition, ready to go back on the shelf, we don't charge a restocking fee. If we aren't able to place it back on the shelf, we charge a 25% restocking fee.

How do I return or get a replacement for my Amazon order?

If your order came from Amazon in an Amazon box, reach out to them through their customer service line and they can help with it. Their chat feature works really really well, so try that first. Here is the link.

It's been longer than 30 days since I got my supplies delivered, can I still return it?

If it's been beyond the 30-day return window, we won't be able to accept a return on the order.

Who pays return shipping?

Customers pay the return shipping for exchanges or returns. If there was a mistake with the order, we are happy to pay any shipping charges.

Are live bees and nucs returnable or can I cancel the order?

Nucleus hives are live animals and because of this, they cannot be returned to us for a refund. We do our best to supply excellent bees and queens in our nucs, but if there are any issues with them, we need to be notified within 48 hours of the bees being picked up.

$50 deposits for bees are non-refundable. Any payments made for the bees are non-refundable.

Payments beyond the deposit are refundable if requested at least 45 days before the planned pickup date. The whole purchase price of the bees is non-refundable when requested within 45 days of the pickup window. We understand this is not ideal, but because these are live animals and there is a lot of work and equipment that goes into preparing the bees early, this is our policy to make sure bees are taken care of.

Getting My Equipment

How do I get my order?

If you chose to have your equipment shipped, we will send it via UPS, Fedex or USPS to you. A tracking number will come via email (check your spam).

If you chose to pick up locally, we will send you a message when it is ready to be picked up with pickup details. Or you can come by the store and shop. The pickup location will be our store at 424 9th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203.  

Can I pickup an order from a beekeeping conference?

Possibly. We don't go to all of the beekeeping conferences but are always at the Alabama state beekeeping conferences. If you would like to pick your order up there, let us know and we will meet you there.

Can I get my order delivered to a local beekeeping meeting?

We will often attend beekeeping meetings in Shelby County and Jefferson County Alabama. If you would like your order delivered there, let us know and we will bring it if we plan on attending that night.

Where do I pickup my order?

If you opted for local pickup, your order will be available at our store in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. We will let you know when it's ready for pickup.

How long does it take to get orders ready?

We try to get orders shipped or ready for pick up within a couple of days of ordering. But officially say we will have it ready within a week. Sometimes we get a crazy amount of orders, but it's typically always ready within a week.

We know beekeepers need equipment ASAP, so if it is extremely urgent, we will do everything we can to get orders to you when you (and your bees) need them.

Is there free shipping afer you spend $100?

On occasion, we can offer free shipping on a few items, but we do not have a blanket policy for free shipping if you spend a certain amount. Woodenware is very heavy and our shippers charge us to ship it out, so we have to pass the cost on. We do everything we can to get the costs down as much as we can, but it is just a reality that shipping isn't free for anyone.

But, we partner with Amazon for some of our supplies and Amazon offers free shipping for orders over $25 and for all prime members. So check out our supplies on there if you would like free shipping.

Where are the supplies I ordered?

If it's been a week since you have ordered and you haven't heard from us, check your spam folder for an email from us. If you don't see it there, just contact us about the order and we will check into it.

I'm driving through town on a trip, how can I pickup my order on that day?

If you want to pick up your order on a certain day, please let us know during checkout or send us a separate message. We will have your order ready that day if it is the only day you can pick it up.

Honey

Is your honey raw?

We get asked this all the time and the answer is yes. Our honey is just the way the bee makes it, just in a different container. Instead of it coming in a piece of comb, it comes in a jar full of everything the bees naturally put in the honey (except for maybe their knees).

Is your honey local?

Local honey is relative to where you live, but don't be fooled. Costco sells honey that they say is local, but that just means it came from somewhere in your region (southeast, northeast, etc...) All of our honey is from Alabama bees and we bottle it by zip code. So you can look at our jars and be able to tell exactly where in town it came from. That is pretty cool.

Can You Ship By Freight?

Yes, we can ship by freight using LTL services. We will need to pull a freight price for you, but the best prices are if the freight can be shipped to a commercial address. Just contact us if you have any questions.

We would like to buy honey for a special event, how do we do that?

If you'd like to buy honey for a special event like a wedding, 50th anniversary, corporate gifts, realtor gift, etc... please just contact us and tell us what you are looking for and we will see if we can accommodate you.

How do I buy your honey?

For more months out of the year than not, our honey is sold out. We can't force the bees to make more honey and won't feed them sugar syrup at a time when they could possibly store it in a honey box. So the demand for our honey far outweighs the supply. So get it before it's gone. You can check our honey page for availability.

Do you sell honey wholesale or in large volumes?

Since supply is limited, we don't always sell in large volumes at discounts. Contact us about interest in either wholesaling or bulk discounts.

What about other types of honey besides liquid honey?

The honey that we have available is all listed on our website. There are other types of products like creamed honey, infused honey, or comb honey that can be made as well. When those are available, we will post them on our honey page as well.

About Us

How long have you been in business?

We started Foxhound Bee Company in 2014 with a shelf in our garage and $100. We now run our business full-time and have expanded far beyond that one shelf and our expenses are far more than $100. Read more about who we are here.

Do you actually keep bees or do you just sell supplies?

Our owner Adam Hickman is actually a certified EAS Master Beekeeper and has been keeping bees since 2012. We have kept bees since that very first spring when we got "stung".

Where did the name "Foxhound Bee Company" come from?

The original name was "HHH Honey", named after our Adam's Great Grandfather, Howard Harris Hickman, who was a beekeeper. But it wasn't the name we were going to stick with and we would do a lot more than honey. We named it after the breed of dog Adam owns which is a Foxhound. It's a type of hound that is tall, thin, and never stops going, originally bred for hunting foxes.

What do you guys do?

Our bread and butter is selling high-quality beekeeping supplies to beekeepers. Teaching is also a passion of ours so we put a lot of effort into our classes and blog. We also keep bees for ourselves and for business in our area who want to enjoy the benefits of having bees. About Us.

Do you guys sell bees?

Yes we do. They are available for local pickup from our store.

https://foxhound-bee-company.myshopify.com/products/nucleus-hive-with-bees

Why did you get into keeping bees?

The seed to Foxhound Bee Company is when our owner Adam saw some of his great-grandfathers beekeeping supplies in middle school. He asked his dad (not a beekeeper) what they were and from that point on thought bees were pretty cool. Fast forward a couple of decades and Adam has that old equipment in his possession and works full-time running his beekeeping supply company.

Wooden Equipment

Are the holes pre-drilled on your boxes?

There are a couple of manufacturers of supplies that pre-drill holes into the boxes to make driving nails or screws easier. It takes specialized equipment (meaning lot's of $$$) to do this quickly. So, unfortunately, we do not have this option. You can pre-drill yourself if you'd like but it isn't always necessary.

Is all of your woodenware made of Cypress?

Anything that is exposed or could be exposed to the weather is made from cypress wood. Our frames are not and the middle of our inner cover is not made of cypress, but every other piece of wood is.

Is cypress actually better than pine?

We can promise that it is. In the long term, you will save money with cypress wood equipment over pinewood equipment. It takes a very very long time for cypress to rot and even longer if you paint it. You won't be disappointed with it at all, we promise. Read more here.

I read your equipment is thicker than the standard, will it work with my old equipment?

The lumber for our equipment is 7/8-inch thick, which is slightly thicker than the industry standard of 3/4-inch. The extra 1/8-inch on every board makes it slightly more durable but also changes the size of the box. But don't worry, the internal dimensions of our boxes are the same as most manufactures, so the bees won't know a difference. You will see a slight edge on the outside of the box if you put one of our boxes on top of another manufacturer. We have both types in our bee yards and they work together perfectly fine.

Do you sell painted equipment in other colors?

When ordering painted equipment, it will come in white. It doesn't have to be white, but that is the traditional color for beehives. You can easily paint it or draw a design on it if you want to make it your own.

What grade is your wood?

Other manufacturers sell their equipment with different grades, budget, good, best, super-duper, commercial, whatever... How complicated is that? We sell one type and it's really good quality. We don't have many knots or blemishes because the lumber is of good quality from the get-go. No need to pick through it to find the good stuff. When there are knots, they are typically put in place where it doesn't matter, like under the telescoping cover where there is a sheet of aluminum on top. Cypress wood and most other woods can have small checks in the surface of the wood which are very common. These checks may look like cracks, but they are just a thin separation that comes from the drying process. These make no difference in the function of the wood and are only a cosmetic blemish. Customers have remarked on how beautiful our equipment is for years, so we are sure you will too.

How do you assemble your equipment?

When you buy assembled equipment from us, we use a variety of fasteners and glue to secure your wood together.

For the glue, we either use Titebond 2 or Titebond 3 glue which is an excellent glue for beehives.

For the fasteners, we use a combination of nails and staples. For the pieces that take a lot of abuse like the boxes and frames, we use the narrow crown and medium crown staples so your equipment NEVER falls apart.

How do you paint or stain your equipment?

Finishing our equipment with a stain or paint will ensure that the wood lasts even longer, but it isn't necessary with cypress. Unpainted, it will still last decades.

If you would like to paint the equipment, 1 coat of exterior, water-based primer and 1 coat of exterior, water-based paint is sufficient. If you want extra protection, do 2 coats of exterior paint. Latex paint is another name for water-based paint.

If you would like to stain your equipment, we recommend using a stain that is designed for outdoor decks. There are many color options, including clear, and it contains UV protectors that reduce the number of times you will need to re-coat the wood.

Do I need to stain or paint cypress?

You don't have to paint or finish cypress wood if you don't want to. It will still last you 20+ years easy when leaving it unfinished. Pine will probably last 5 years before it needs to be replaced. But if you want the cypress wood to last longer, painting/staining is recommended. Paint protects the wood the most. Stains (like for your deck) protect it a little less but will preserve the wood grain. Oils (like linseed) protect it the least, but it will last longer than unfinished. Boiled and raw would both work fine, both would need recoating every couple years.

Do you sell custom beekeeping supplies?

At the moment, we do not offer any custom frames, boxes or other woodenware.

Contacting Us

How do I contact you?

The best way to do it is through our contact us form. You fill it out and it goes straight to our email address. You can also call or text us as well, so check out our contact us page for details.

Can we come by your store?

Yes, you can. See ourcontact us pagefor more details on it.

Are you on social media?

Yes, definitely. We post most of our content on Facebook and Instagram, so go check those ones out. The contact us form is a better way to reach out to us because Facebook and Instagram don't always show us messages sent to us. Scroll down to see our social links.

I have beekeeping questions, who do I call?

We love educating so we would be happy to help you with your bees. If it's not urgent, send us a message on our contact us form. You can also call or text us and we will do our best to answer quickly.

Amazon

Is everything you sell on Amazon?

Only some of our supplies are sold on Amazon. There are a lot of variables that go into selling on Amazon and the supply level, weight, and size of the products dictate what we sell on Amazon. So, unfortunately, our entire store isn't available, but many or our supplies are. See our entire Amazon inventory here.

Do you get free shipping on Amazon?

For Prime-Members, shipping is free on our products and most orders arrive in only a few days.

For non-Prime members, shipping is free on orders above $25. You can become an Amazon Prime member for a short period for free through this link.

Are the prices on Amazon the same as they are on your store?

They are not always the same as prices will vary based on supply. For example, if we have too much inventory with Amazon, we may reduce the price temporarily so that we don't have excess inventory in Amazon's warehouse. Sometimes our website prices may be more or less than they are on Amazon.

If I order on Amazon, can I pick it up at your store?

Orders made through Amazon will need to be fulfilled by Amazon and can't be picked up directly from us.

Why do you also sell on Amazon?

Amazon does a great job at getting orders to customers quickly, so we lean on them for our products that we sell a lot of. We have found that customers value getting orders delivered quickly so we let Amazon do that for us.

Will you match the prices on Amazon in your store or vice versa?

The two markets operate separate from each other, so we do not match the prices from one to the other.

I see something I want on your store, can I buy it through Amazon?

You can look at this link to see if it is available on Amazon. If it is, feel free to order on there. Otherwise, it is not available on Amazon's website and should be ordered through our store.

Is there a difference between ordering on Amazon vs the Foxhound website?

When selling on Amazon, there are fees built into the price that Amazon charges us like storage, fulfillment, advertising, and the cost of the item to ship it to you. Sometimes these fees can add up to more than 50% of the cost.

When ordering directly through us, we do not have to pay those fees which helps us a lot as a small business. We want you to order from whichever source is best for you.