Do you want to buy bees? This is the blog post for you!
The world of beekeeping has experienced a surge in popularity as more people recognise the importance of these essential pollinators and want to enjoy the pleasure of having a beehive in their own back garden. Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper expanding your apiary or a novice embarking on your first beekeeping adventure, buying bees online can be a convenient and efficient way to acquire your first nucleus colony of bees.
However, caution is key when navigating the digital marketplace to ensure that you're receiving healthy bees from reputable sources. In this guide, we'll explore the ins and outs of safely buying honey bees online and what factors to consider before making your purchase.
Buy Bees from a Reputable Supplier:
When you buy bees online, selecting a trustworthy supplier is paramount to the success of your beekeeping venture. Look for suppliers with numerous positive reviews and a solid reputation within the beekeeping community. Recommendations from experienced beekeepers or local beekeeping associations can be invaluable in finding reliable sources.
At Black Mountain Honey, we try to take this one step further. We do collect recommendations and reviews from our customers, but we also allow our customers to submit case studies to document their journeys with our nucs. This means before you buy bees online, you can watch our customers journeys and see our bees in action. This helps you gauge the temperament and prolificacy of our nucs for sale and actually see them in action before you buy bees online.
Check out our reviews - https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/Customer-Reviews-Testimonials
Queen Bees and Genetics
Consider buying your bees from suppliers who can give you a breakdown of the background of the queen bee’s lineage. Ideally, you want some level of control of the lineage and genetics when you buy bees online. If you buy bees with an unknown genetic lineage, you may get a perfectly acceptable colony of bees. You may also get a box of aggressive mongrels. If the genetic lineage is not controlled, there is far genetic variation between the nucs for sale online.
If you buy bees from Black Mountain Honey, all of our nucleus colonies for sale are supplied with a marked, F1 Buckfast Mated Queen Bee. This means the mated queen within our nucs for sale are headed by the first generation after a pure Buckfast breeder queen. This provides you with the best mix of genetics for your first nucleus colony and ensures when you buy bees from Black Mountain Honey, they are calm, placid, prolific and produce a bumper honey crop.
Click here to see the range of queen bees for sale we have on offer - https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/buyqueenbees
Health Certifications:
When you buy bees in the UK, you should ensure that the supplier adheres to rigorous health standards and provides certifications for their bees, where possible. Reputable suppliers often undergo inspections to certify that their bees are disease-free by the National Bee Unit and can apply for DASH accreditation (disease assurance scheme for honey bees).
Laurence at Black Mountain Honey attended the DASH course in 2023 and successfully completed the examination process. He subsequently passed a rigorous site audit which involved the full inspection of every single colony within the operation (no disease found). He is due to receive his formal DASH accreditation in 2024, when the National Bee Unit remobilises in April.
Package Options:
When sourcing honey bees online outside the UK, you'll typically have two options: nucleus colonies (nucs) or package bees. Nucs consist of a small colony with a laying queen, worker bees, and honeycomb frames with brood and food. Package bees, on the other hand, include a box of worker bees and a separate queen. Each option has its advantages, and the choice depends on your beekeeping goals and experience level.
In the UK, packages are far less common but I would highly discourage new beekeepers from trying to start a colony from a package of bees as they are very likely to abscond into your neighbours chimney if they don’t have some drawn comb to start off with. Believe, I have been there and it was an expensive mistake!
Our nucs for sale at Black Mountain Honey arrive on 6 frames, 3-4 frames of brood in all stages, 2-3 frames of stores, an F1 Buckfast mated queen and a full complement of honey bees.
You can buy our bee nucs for sale here - https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/bee-nucs-for-sale
Transparent Communication:
Establish open and clear communication with the supplier before finalising your purchase. Ask questions about their beekeeping practices, the age of the queen, and any treatments the bees may have received. A reputable supplier will be transparent about their processes and willingly provide information to ensure you are well-informed.
When you buy bees from Black Mountain Honey, we take this one step further. We show you what we are doing at all times through our YouTube channel, so you can see what is happening at any point throughout the year.
In terms of treatments, we use Apitraz as a late summer treatment for varroa mites and we use Api Bioxal as a winter sublimation treatment to ensure varroa levels are as low as possible for when we send out nucs out to our customers.
We have a wide range of communication channels open to our customers. You can call or text us on 01352 372 247. You can email us on blackmountainhoney@gmail.com. You can send us WhatsApp messages using the website chat form, which is available HERE. You can even dial in to our regular YouTube live stream sessions where I will answer your questions live. We feel it’s of huge importance to communicate directly with our customers. If you have any queries on our products, drop us a message using one of the channels detailed above.
Contact us via the website - https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/say-hello
Shipping Considerations:
If you're buying honey bees online, consider the logistics of shipping. Bees are delicate creatures, and their well-being during transportation is crucial. Choose suppliers who use reliable carriers with experience in shipping live bees. Check the shipping dates and confirm that they align with your local climate conditions to minimise stress on the bees.
When you buy bees at Black Mountain Honey, we only send our nucs for sale using Royal Mail’s Special Delivery service. We have a unique relationship with Royal Mail and have a dedicated collection service that collects our nucs at 6pm on Tuesday evenings. The dedicated collection van bypasses the local depot and heads straight to the major hub located in Chester. The bees then begin their journey to the their final destination and are delivered by 1pm the following day, generally much earlier. This ensures the bees spend the very minimum amount of time within the postal service.
Our nucs for sale are packaged specifically to give them the most comfortable transit through the postal system. We only use fully insulated poly nucs for transit with ventilated top and bottom screens. This means the bees are able to cope with any temperature fluctuations within the postal system. We also screw down the screens to ensure they cannot be removed during transit. We do absolutely everything in our power to ensure safe and healthy transit of our bees through the postal system. Even better, free shipping is included in all of our nucs for sale across the Black Mountain Honey range.
Payment and Guarantee:
Review the supplier's payment policies and inquire about any guarantees they offer. A reputable supplier will stand by the quality of their bees and may offer replacement or refunds in the rare event of issues. Ensure that the payment process is secure, and be cautious of suppliers requesting unusual payment methods.
At Black Mountain Honey, we guarantee the bees will arrive with you in excellent condition. If the bees arrive dead or damaged, we will replace them with no quibble. We will also guarantee the temperament of your bees. If you aren’t happy with the temperament of the colony, you can return the queen to us and we will issue you a brand new F1 queen, that will ultimately resolve any queries with temperament. We take pride in the quality of our nucs for sale and when you buy bees from Black Mountain Honey, we will make sure you are happy beekeeper.
Post-Purchase Support:
A reliable supplier should offer post-purchase support to help you navigate any challenges you may encounter after receiving your bees. Whether it's providing advice on hive management or addressing health concerns, ongoing support is a testament to a supplier's commitment to the success of their customers.
When you buy bees from Black Mountain Honey, we don’t just sell you our nucs for sale and then abandon you. We are here for you at every stage throughout the process. From pre delivery support, to instructional videos for introduction into the beehive, to queries about build up, treatments and honey extraction. We have a wide range of communication options open to you and offer a wide range of market leading after sales support for all of our mated queen bees and nucs for sale.
Conclusion:
Buying honey bees online can be a convenient and rewarding way to start or expand your beekeeping journey. By conducting thorough research, choosing a reputable supplier, and considering factors such as local adaptability and health certifications, you can increase the likelihood of a successful and thriving hive.
Remember that transparency, open communication, and post-purchase support are key elements in ensuring a positive experience when buying honey bees online. With these guidelines in mind, you'll be well-equipped to embark on your beekeeping adventure and contribute to the preservation of these essential pollinators.
Check out Colin from YouTube channel, Foxes Afloat. He bought 12 nucs to be sent to the Highlands of Scotland and his bees are doing well!
