Product Details
Mated Queens Dates
1st or 2nd Week in March - VSH Italian Pol-Line
1st Week in April - VSH Italian Queens*
April and Beyond - Alabama Italian Queens
****Must preorder March and April Queens*****
We are taking pre-orders now at 10% off. Use code PREQUEEN during checkout. Must order at least 2 queens for the discount to apply.
Queen availability is limited by the weather and demand. We try to keep queens in stock at the store April through June, but cannot guarantee their availability.
PICKUP DETAILS:
We are not always able to run out to the bee yard during store hours to grab a queen, so it is best to order it on the website and let us know when you would like to pick them up.
If we are sold out, we will take pre-orders for mated queens and will note that in the listing. It is first paid first served for our mated queens.
We have mated queen bees for sale for pickup from our store in Alabama.
A mated queen can make splitting a hive much easier during the spring or the fall. Installing a mated queen into a queenless hive can save your colony or increase your apiary size.
Pickup dates from our retail store will vary based on weather, so we will communicate any changes if the weather does not cooperate.
VSH Italian Pol-Line From Florida - Brought in from central Florida, these Italian line of queens are bred with the popular Pol-Line and their genetic traits. These queens are daughters of breeding queens from South Carolina and the USDA Queen Breeding Program. Read more about Pol-Line queens here.
VSH Italian Queens from California - These queens are brought int from California through a favorite queen breeder of ours that has been in the queen business since the early 70's. They have a great reputation for high quality queens. These mated queen arrive n a JZBZ cage with attendants that have been bred for their ability to use the bee's natural ability to detect and remove varroa mites. VSH stands for Varroa Sensitive Hygiene.
Local Queens - These queens are mated in Alabama.
The Italian bees are docile and a favorite choice of both commercial and beginner beekeepers. Italians have a long brood cycle that is great for areas with plentiful forage and shorter winters. Italian queens brood up quickly in the spring, making them popular for beekeepers who do almond pollination. They tend to be low to moderate propolis producers. Italian bees are excellent honey producers.