Every queen we sell is top quality
Let’s clear one thing up first. Every single queen we supply is top quality. We only sell calm genetics that suit a back garden hive, and we stand behind that in everything we do.
We know most beekeepers don’t want a hive that’s angry, defensive, or stressful to handle. Nor do we. So whichever queen you pick, you’re getting bees that are nice to work.
That’s worth saying up front, because the word “standard” puts some people off. It shouldn’t. Standard doesn’t mean average. It means proven and reliable, and it’s the right choice for most beekeepers.
The queen ranges, and which one suits you
When you browse our queens, you’ll see a few different ranges. Each one is a calm, proven mated queen. They differ in where the genetics come from and how they’re mated.
Signature
Recommended
The queens most of our customers choose and come back for year after year. These represent the typical Black Mountain Honey experience: proven performance, calm temperament, and strong productivity.
UK queens
Bred and mated in secluded UK breeding stations by trusted family producers we’ve worked with for years. Fully acclimated to British weather, proven to thrive through wet summers and cold winters. The natural choice if you want locally raised bees.
VSH
Bred for Varroa Sensitive Hygiene. These bees actively detect and remove Varroa-infested brood. A smart choice if you want bees that help manage mite pressure naturally, without relying solely on treatments.
Obsidian
Our darkest line, and a favourite for anyone who loves a bit of character in the hive. They fly in cooler conditions, produce huge amounts of wonderfully fragrant propolis, and stay lovely and calm to work. A brilliant pick for an apitherapy setup.
Not sure which range? If you want our own exclusive genetics, go Signature. If you’d rather have a UK-reared queen, go UK. If cutting your Varroa pressure is the priority, go VSH. And if you want something with real character, go Obsidian.
Standard or premium: what you’re actually paying for
Every range comes in a standard and a premium version. If they’re all top quality, what does premium actually get you?
It comes down to three things we can control when we produce a queen:
- The maternal line. The genetics of the queen’s mother, and the breeding line we graft from.
- The paternal line. The drones the virgin queen mates with out in the field.
- The isolation of the mating apiary. How much control we have over those drones, and how much they shape the final mating.
None of our queens are island mated. But some of our premium lines come from superb isolation apiaries, where the landscape and distance give us far more control over the mating. That control shows up in the final mated queens offspring.
So with a premium queen you’re getting a combination of all three. More exclusive maternal genetics, more expensive breeder queens to graft from (a single breeder queen can cost upwards of £1,000), more exclusive paternal genetics flooding our drone sites, and better, more isolated mating conditions.
With a standard queen you’re still getting calm, proven genetics, selected for normal back garden beekeeping and tested by thousands of beekeepers. If you’ve bought an F1 Buckfast queen from us and you’re not sure which you had, it was very likely a standard, and they’re very high quality.
So which queen should you get?
Think of premium as an incremental gain for a bit more money. Here’s a simple way to decide.
Go standard if:
- You’re a hobbyist who wants calm, reliable bees at the best value
- You’re requeening a colony or starting a nuc
- You want proven performance without paying for the top tier
Go premium if:
- You want the very best we offer
- You’re pushing for maximum calmness or the most consistent performance
- You’re chasing every last bit of honey production
- You’re building up your own breeding stock
Whichever pair you choose, you’re getting a queen we’re proud to put our name to. If you’re still unsure, look at what you’re optimising for. Want proven calm performance and great value? Go standard. Want maximum genetic exclusivity and control? Go premium.
Where to go next
Ready to pick? Have a look at the full queen range and choose the one that fits your setup. If you get stuck, get in touch. We’re here to help every step of the way.
