Buy Live Bees

Our apiaries are located throughout Georgia. Our bee hives are managed by natural organic methods and we are licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. All our bees come with a Georgia Dept. of Agriculture Health Certificate.

buy live bees

Our Italian bee packages are grown here in Georgia and each shipment will have a Georgia Department of Agriculture Health Certificate attached. Over 90% of beekeepers have Italian Bees in their hives. We highly recommend new beekeepers to start beekeeping with Italian bees because they are the most gentle of all honey bees. Our package bees include: a screen box, sugar water container or fondant blocks, approx. +/- 3 lbs. of bees which include nurse bees, forager bees, guard bees, and drone bees. The queen bee will be in a separate queen cage. To learn more about Italian honey bees click here.

Our Beekeeping Jacket &Tools Combo is a great deal for the new beekeeper or the experienced beekeeper who is just getting back into beekeeping. You will receive a jacket/veil combo which is offered in 5 different sizes. Upgrade to a mesh jacket for only $20. Beekeeping goat skin gloves are also in 5 different sizes. You will also receive a hive tool to assist you in opening the hive. A boardman feeder is also included to feed your new hive. A smoker is included to assist you in calming the honey bee colony while you work within the hive. A bee brush is included when you need to move bees of the frames. Lastly, we include a Beginning Beekeeping Handbook that goes over all the material we teach in our beginning beekeeper boot camp each year.

Our Carniolan bee packages are grown here in Georgia. We recommend that beekeepers with 3 years of beekeeping experience or more can purchase this product. Carniolan bees are better suited for cold winters due to the queen will continue to produce brood into the Fall months, which means the colony will be more robust going into Winter. Carniolan bees, overall, are more aggressive than Italian honey bees. Our Carniolan package bees include: a screen box, sugar water container or fondant block, approx. +/- 3 lbs. of bees, which includes nurse bees, forager bees, guard bees, and drone bees. The colony of bees will consist of one or more Italian, Carniolan, and Russian worker bees. The Carniolan queen bee will be in a separate queen cage. To learn more click here

Our Russian hybrid bee packages are grown here in Georgia. Because of the natural defensive traits of the Russian bees, we recommend Russian hybrid packages only to experienced beekeepers. Our Russian hybrid package bees include: a screen box, sugar water container or fondant block, approx. +/- 3 lbs. of bees which includes a queen, nurse bees, forager bees, guard bees, and drone bees. The colony of bees will consist of one or more Russian, Italian, and Carniolan worker bees. The Russian hybrid queen bee will be in a separate queen cage. We recommend beekeepers have 3 years of beekeeping experience prior to purchasing Russian bees. Learn more about the differences between Russian and Italian honey bees (Learn more click here).

The Caucasian honeybee has really great traits as they fly earlier in the day and later in the day. There are more traits that make them an excellent honeybee and that is able to fly in cooler conditions. These trait of the Caucasian honeybee excellent in nectar collection. Additionally, Caucasian queens are well know for raising strong colonies. Our 3 lbs Caucasian bee packages come with a queen, worker bees, and drones. The packaged colony can have a mix of Italian, Carniolan, or Russian Hybrid worker bees.

Caucasian honeybees are also know to be gentle and high in productivity. Caucasian honeybees are also significant gathers of propolis. Propolis is used to keep drafts out of the hive and to keep invaders out of the hive. Colonies do not reach full strength until mid-summer, which is an undesirable trait for areas with the highest nectar flow in the spring. This honeybee is better suited for northern beekeepers.

For the beginner beekeeper, buying bees is the easiest and safest way to start an apiary. The two most common ways to receive bees are: package bees or a nucleus hive.

Bees on tree limbs can be collected by cutting the limb and gently placing or shaking the limb inside a container. Bees on a flat surface or fence post can be guided into a container by gently brushing them with cardboard, as you would with a dustpan. They can also be directed toward it by puffing smoke behind them, encouraging them to move in the opposite direction (toward the container). Transfer bees from the container to a hive by gently shaking them toward it.

Decide which method of getting bees is right for you based on your local circumstances. If you have a beekeeping association in your area, they may be able to help you collect a swarm of wild bees or know where you can buy a starter colony.

Most new colonies may not be mature enough the first year to harvest honey. The basic hive body must be at least 90% full of bees and a winter super drawn out and full before you can ethically make honey. Also when you use medications or pest control chemicals the harvesting of honey safely may not a possibility, given proper time frames. Follow any directions on the product as to when to take it out of the hive or a safe time barrier to safely apply supers to collect honey. It is possible under the most desirable conditions and a fast growing hive to make honey the first year but buy an experienced keeper. Their health and colony strength are the most important.

Packages will arrive approximately late-April; the exact date is determined by weather and other delivery circumstances. We will notify you of exact pick-up times as the date approaches. Please call if you have any questions or need to discuss pick-up day accommodations.

What are the main differences between Italian and Carniolan bees? Click here for more information about the two races. Do you have additional questions about ordering bees? Please call us at 541-929-3524 or email bees@shonnards.com

We apologize, but at this time, we can only ship bees to the United States and Canada. All mason bee cocoons ship FREE via FedEx 2Day shipping in the United States or via Canada Post in Canada.

For the health of the bees, we only ship mason bee cocoons on Mondays (Feb - April) to ensure they do not get stuck in transit over the weekend. We recommend picking a shipping date that is two weeks ahead of when you expect your spring plants to bloom.

Once your bees arrive, it's up to you to provide these pollinators with healthy habitats to forage and nest to be successful. It's essential to take the time to learn how to care for your bees if you want to see healthy future generations in your yard.

Fortunately, we've got you covered. We love sharing our knowledge and helping our community of bee raisers, so each month, we spend time thoughtfully crafting our BeeMail with seasonal reminders and tips to help you be as successful as possible with our bees and products!

200+ cocoons per order! We send way more than you'll need because leafcutter bees have a higher dispersal rate than mason bees. So, please don't expect all 200 to stick around (the nature of nature)!

Like mason bees, leafcutter bees are only active in your garden for 4-6 weeks. If you live in an area with extended summers, you may want to consider getting two shipments of leafcutter bees 4 weeks apart for 8-12 weeks of pollination.

For the health of the bees, we only ship Leafcutter bee cocoons on Mondays (May - August) to ensure they do not get stuck in transit over the weekend. We recommend you choose your shipping date to align with the week your summer garden begins to bloom and gets consistent daytime temps of at least 75F/24C.

NOTE: We average a 99% success rate in getting your bees to you safely. However, extreme temperatures and shipping delays may affect your bees. If your package arrives and your bees are DOA, please fill out an online help ticket and we'll happily replace your bees!

At BeekeepingUSA.com, we are dedicated to supplying our customers with high quality honey bees, superior beekeeping supplies and outstanding customer service. Our apiaries are in Georgia, and we ship bees weekly beginning in mid-March. If you are an experienced beekeeper or a beginner, we have all the quality beekeeping supplies you will need.

We know and understand the logistics of shipping honey bees. Our experienced beekeepers in our customer service call center can assist you in determining exactly what supplies you will need and the best ship date for your bees.We offer 3 lbs Italian package bees, Italian nucs, and superior bee hives for sale.

Our bees are grown in the state of Georgia utilizing organic management practices. Our bees are inspected by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and will have a Georgia Department of Agriculture Health Certificate stapled on the outside of the shipping crate. We have packaged bees for sale for the 2020 bee season with multiple dates available. We proudly offer Italian honey bees. Our honey bees are shipped properly, promptly, and with great care. You can rest assured with ordering your bees from BeekeepingUSA.com, your bees will arrive to your home healthy.

BeekeepingUSA.com is a e-commerce beekeeping supplier that specializes in shipping honey bees and beekeeping supplies within 31 states. We attribute our growth to having 85% of our customers come back each season with new orders and we attribute our success in giving our customers outstanding customer service.

A package of bees is a wire screen and wood cage usually containing 3 pounds of bees, a new, mated queen in her cage, and a can of sugar syrup for the journey. The bees will need to build their own comb and accept the queen. This makes it a little more difficult to get started, but costs less up front. See your supplier/vendor/producer website for more information. 041b061a72