Where Can You Buy Honeybees for Sale?​

As beekeeping grows and the production of your own honey becomes more attractive, more and more outlets are appearing. But, how do you know exactly what you need and what should you be looking out for?

That’s where we come in. Did you know there are different varieties of honeybees? Are you looking to buy a bee package or a bee nuc? These are some of the options you should consider before you decide where to buy honeybees from.

Bee Sellers Around The World

Mountain Sweet Honey Company is known for its eco-friendly commitment to reusing materials. Its website provides starter combos and a variety of honeybees packages, such as Italian, Carniolan and Russian bees. They ship all over the world.

Kelley Beekeeping is one of the most complete services for beekeepers. You can pick up your own bee package or nuc in person, or they can ship it directly to your home. The store is located in Clarkson, USA, and they sell all types of honeybees.

Melita Bees is a European company located in Malta that exports queen bees of all kinds all over the world. 

The Urban Beekeepers is located in Oakland and provides rescued honeybees and relocation services for hives. Additionally, it provides workshops, classes and sells all kinds of honeybees.

Types of Honeybees to Buy

Making a choice of what kind of honeybees you should buy might be hard. There are many different kinds, and each has its own pros and cons. 

For example, if you’re new to beekeeping, you might want to choose a kind of bee that’s more gentle.

German Bee

The German bee, also known as the Western European honey bee or black bee, is originally from Northern Europe. Brought to the U.S. around the 17th century, it was the only race to be found in the U.S. until 1860.

Their bodies are dark-colored, ranging from dark-brown to black, and they can create more queen cells than any other honeybee.

Black bees aren’t the best choice for beginners because of their tendency to be defensive. On the other hand, they adapt very well to cold climates, as they hibernate in cold winters.

Italian Bee

These bees are perfect for beginners because of the good amount of honey they produce. It’s also easy is to manage them, as they work more efficiently in spring than other honeybees.

Italian bees are gentle and aren’t prone to swarming. They’re lightly colored, ranging from a light brown to a bright yellow.

Beekeepers prefer this kind of bee for aesthetic reasons, good honey producers and they overwinter very well. Additionally, they use less propolis than the majority of darker bees.

Buckfast Bee

Buckfast bees are hybrids, developed in Southwest England in 1920. They’re able to thrive in cold and rainy weather due to the climate in this region.

In terms of coloring, they tend to be yellow-to-brown, making for an attractive purchase. On top of this, they have moderately defensive behavior, with a low swarm instinct.

They’re easy to work with since they produce a very small amount of propolis and a large amount of honey. Buckfast bees are also highly resilient to parasites due to their excellent house cleaning techniques. 

Carniolan Bee

Carniolan Bees are originally from isolated regions in the Austrian Alps and Danube Valley.

Incredibly docile, which makes them easy to work with, they’re also smaller than other bees. Their coloring is dark-brown to black, with brown bands or spots in the abdominal area.

Their population growth is considered high due to explosive growth in the spring and excellent for overwintering. They’re also excellent at building wax combs and so are highly productive at creating honey.

Russian Bees

Russian Bees are originally from the Far-Eastern Primorsky region of Russia, which is surrounded by mountains and sea. This makes them accustomed to cold climates and, therefore, overwinter well.

Their coloring is dark-brown or black with a pale yellow part on the abdomen. Despite their appealing color, they’re not very friendly. They attack with their heads instead of stinging, but they are good house cleaners, making them resistant to parasites.

Keep in mind that, to prevent unwanted swarming with Russian bees, you should provide extra space in the hive.

Caucasian Bee

The Caucasian bee is originally from Georgia and has the longest tongue of all the bees, which makes it easier to reach the bottom of the flowers.

They’re not as bright as comparative honeybees, having a dark-colored appearance with grey hair. However, they can adapt to any weather conditions well.

These are popular honeybees since they’re highly docile, easily recognize their beekeeper and produce large amounts of honey.

What To Buy: Nucs or Packages?

Now you know the types of honeybees out there, consider choosing either a bee nuc, or nucleus, or a bee package.

They can both be purchased online and shipped to you or bought from a local beekeeper.

Bee packages:

  • More affordable
  • Around 10,000 bees
  • If you want to grow a colony out of it, it’s entirely up to you
  • Wooden box with two screened sides for ventilation

Nucleus or nucs:

  • Good for beginners
  • Minimum of five full frames of comb
  • Wax frames full of brood
  • Comes with pollen, eggs, larvae, honey, a queen bee and worker bees.

Conclusion

There are trusted, experienced and professional beekeepers all around the world. It’s your choice whether you buy locally or over the internet, or even catch your own swarm. No matter where you choose to buy from, be sure to do your due diligence.

With so many unethical beekeeping practices out there, we should look to ethical keep bees and only buy from trusted, ethical sources.

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