Q: What times of year do you ship?

A:  We generally start packages the first week of April, and continue for 4-6 weeks.  How long we make packages depends on how hot our weather is, as well as our supply of bees.  We usually start shipping queens the first full week of April, and continue until our supply runs out. Depending on the year we will run out of queens sometime between July and September. 

Please give us a call for availability, and we will add you to the schedule. 

Our availability is completely dependent upon our SPRING WEATHER , as it affects pollination, hive build-up, queen cells, and queen mating. This, unfortunately, we cannot control.

Q: When is the best time for me to order?

A: For smaller orders for APRIL the best time to pre-order is the middle of January to the beginning of February.  Customers ordering large quantities should order prior to this date whenever possible (for questions please call and speak to us). We book up very fast for queens.  It’s always best to place an order as soon as possible, and then modify it later. Our larger customers order several months in advance.  We continue to take orders all season until our supply runs out. After April our schedule is much less restricted.

All substantial queen shipping or package pickup orders for the first half of APRIL should be put in EARLY (We cannot call you to remind you to place an order!).

Q: Should I order a Carniolan or Italian Queen?

A: The best type of queen depends on your location and preference.  We offer our specialty, the Cordovan Italian, and also the Carniolan cross.   The main difference is overwintering behavior.

The Italian will keep a large hive year-round (the queen continues to lay), and thus will require more feed over the winter. A healthy Italian hive will have more bees earlier in Spring--the queen will lay regardless of cool temperature and is less affected by pollen & nectar availability. They are bred for gentleness, and tend show excellent hygienic behavior. 

Beekeepers living in a colder climate usually prefer our Carniolan queens as they lay less brood in the winter, and as a result, the hive will be smaller and consume less feed.  The hive will generally be slower to build up in cooler weather of early Spring, but should be equally productive once it is built up. Carniolan colony size can be more affected by pollen & nectar availability also. Our Carniolan line consists of a pure Carniolan queen mated with our Italian drones, and are also very gentle.

The type of queen you install is up to you, as both of our breeds can survive and thrive in most climatesas long as they are properly kept.  

Q: How do you ship?

A: We only ship UPS Next Day Air.  We want our customers to receive and install their order as soon as possible, as that is what is best for the bees.  Other carriers either do not transport live bees, or take too long to get them to our customers. 

Q: Do you guarantee your queens and packages?

A: Most of the time our products arrive perfectly, and you will be very satisfied with your bees & queens, but because these are LIVE animals, unexpected things can happen.  If you feel as though your queen or package is substandard, please give us a call.  We stand behind our products and, on a case by case basis, will often work out some sort of replacement, covering the cost of the bees but not shipping costs.  UPS does not ensure that you will get your package or queens alive, but has a money back guarantee that you will receive your order on time.

Always follow our instructions and tips perfectly when installing a queen or package. If you follow the instructions, there should be minimal chances of something going wrong. 

Q: How many packages can I have shipped to me?

A: Most of the time we ship between 1 and 10 packages to customers.  The cost of shipping is quite expensive, so if you want to order more than just a few packages, you should consider picking them up. 

After January of each year, we will have the exact cost of shipping to your location.  Keep in mind that UPS, not C.F. Koehnen & Sons, sets the price for shipping.  

Q: How many packages can I pick up at your location?

A: You can order as many as you can haul.   We will work with you to schedule the right day to pick up.  Most of the time we shake packages 1-2 days before they are to be picked up.  This allows the bees to get used to the queen so you can install the package right away. 

Q: What days can I pick up packages at your location? 

A: We have large order pick-ups from Monday - Saturday.  Small pick up orders (less than 20 packages) are done ONLY on Saturday mornings between 8:00-12:00.    All package orders must be pre-scheduled.

Q: Do you call me to let me know my order shipped?

A: No.  We have a very high volume of customers and do not have time to let everyone know that their order went out on the day requested.  When an order is placed, we will send out a sales confirmation confirming with you the day the order is being shipped.  Unless otherwise notified, you will receive your order the day after the ship date.  We will call you if, for any reason, your order cannot ship. 

Q: Do you require payment when my order is placed?

A: No. However, ALL orders must be paid for before they leave our ranch. Checks must be received at least 2 weeks prior to shipment, and credit cards are charged usually from 1-2 days prior to shipment (card information must be given at time of order).  Cash can be paid at time of pickup. For large package orders, we do require a certain pre-payment; please call to discuss.

Q: Can I Change my order before shipping?

A: Yes! In fact, a lot of customers will choose to change the quantity or ship date at some point. Weather is always one factor which necessitates change...at your location, and at C.F. Koehnen & Sons ranch. If you have less-than-ideal weather for handling your package or queens, feel free to call us and we can postpone the shipment. We only ask that you call at least 2 days (if at all possible!) in advance to make the change (things run like clockwork here during the busy season...last minute changes really mess things up for our crews & staff!). In rare cases *we* will have to change your order date --we do everything to avoid delays but sometime it is beyond our control (Mother Nature).

If your order is for more than one person: please minimize the amount of phone calls to us as best you can, until you have your final numbers. It's better to estimate high in the beginning than calling us every week for changes as we get close to your order.

Q: Do you sell beekeeping supplies?

A: We do sell queen and package supplies to other bee suppliers (ship boxes, queen cages, tubes, corks).  We do not sell general beekeeping supplies or honey.

Q:  My package is late!  What happens now?

A: Except for some cases (i.e. severe weather delay), UPS guarantees you get your package on time.  If your package is late, call us and we will file a claim with UPS.  Your shipping cost will be refunded to you.

Bees and queens in late shipments are usually just fine upon arrival; shipping containers are specially designed to keep the bees in the best possible condition during transit. If there is a problem when your late shipment arrives, please contact us.

Q: My queen is dead!  Why?

A: There are dozens of reasons why your queen may have died.   If the rest of the bees look fine in the hive, it was probably due to natural causes and you need to re-queen to keep the hive going.  If you have just ordered a queen from us, and she arrived dead, something may have happened to her in transit.  Give us a call if this happens.  We will usually send you new queen if you pay for the shipping.   

Q: My bees are swarming from my hive and flying away!  Why?

A: One of the main reasons bees swarm is they feel crowded, and decide to find a new place to go. They may or may not leave behind some bees to keep the hive going and raise a new queen.  You can try and find your bees (they could be somewhere close, like a nearby tree), and put them back in the hive.  You can also try and prevent swarming by splitting the hive before they swarm.  Take some frames of bees and honey from your old hive, put them in a new hive body, and install a commercial queen. 

Q: My bees are dying!  Why?

A: Bees die unexpectedly for various reasons.  They might be infested with mites or other parasites, exposed to pesticides or other poisons, stricken with disease, starvation, freezing temperatures, or have over-heated.  The best way to prevent this is to be aware of your bees' environment. Keep them well-fed, treat as needed for pests in your area, and talk to other local beekeepers. Join a local beekeeping club if possible and network with other local beekeepers--you will learn more through experience about factors that may negatively affect your bees.      

Q: How do I know if I need to re-queen?

A: One of the most obvious signs your queen is failing is that she is laying only drones.  Because drones do not contribute to the cleanliness of the hive, or the collection of food, it is not good for your hive to have too many of them.  Most queens will run out of semen within two seasons of their initial mating, so beekeepers often re-queen as a preventative measure every Spring, or at least every other Spring (drones result from unfertilized eggs being laid).  So, if your queen is getting older, it's probably time to re-queen.

Most beekeepers will re-queen when they have a "hot" hive. If your bees are aggressive and have become a problem for you and your neighbors, then replacing your queen with one bred for gentleness is the best way to fix the problem.

If your hive is just not "queen right", i.e. the queen is not laying properly, or the bees are just not behaving right, it may be time to replace her. Other factors in the environment can also cause such behaviors, so pay attention to the hive and its environment.

Q: I'm not ready to install my queen yet, but UPS just dropped her off.  What can I do?

A: If you are going to install your queen within the next couple of days, the best thing to do is to make her comfortable.  Give her and her attendants some drops of water.  Keep her in a dark, cool, place until you're ready to install.   Keep in mind, the longer you wait to install the more chance there is that she will die.   It is far better to install a queen in the rain than it is to wait a day or two for sunshine. If your queen is in a California mini Queencage *without* attendants, she must not be kept without worker bees for any amount of time, but should be placed in a bank if you cant install her right away. Queens with attendants will usually last a few days just fine in their cage (if well-cared-for), but it's not guaranteed.

If you need more time before you install your queen, it's best to order her later. Our shipping is next-day if you order for Mon-Thurs shipping.

Q: Do I need to feed my bees, or will they find their own food?

A: You always need to make sure your bees have plenty to eat. Bees will rely on nectar and pollen in the environment, honey stored in the hive, or sugar syrup & pollen substitute provided by the beekeeper. Most areas have seasonal nectar and pollen available from local plants & trees; check your local resources to find what is available in your area & when (exceptionally dry or wet weather years can affect nectar flow). Nectar availability will affect how much honey your bees can produce and store. We often get the question "why aren't my bees producing any honey?"...usually this is due to a lack of nectar in the area.

If you are unsure, provide sugar syrup ( 1:1 ratio) at all times. If the bees have plenty of natural food sources, they tend to eat less of the sugar syrup, so this will help you get a feel for what they need. Over the winter, feed supply is especially important (bees will need to rely on honey stores or you will need to feed them).

Q: What is a nuc?  Do you sell them?

A: A nuc (short for nucleus) is a small hive we put our queen bees in for their first mating flights.  After queen-mating, experienced queen cagers go out to the bee yards and cage the queens.  We do not ship or sell nucs. 

Q: What is the difference between a CMQ and a 3-Hole cage?

A: Because queens do not take care of themselves, they must have attendant bees with them at all times.  When we ship queens, we do this one of two ways.  We can either ship queens with attendants in the queencage , or outside the queencage.  A CMQ is short for California Mini Queencage.  It is just big enough for a single queen bee to be placed in.  Because it is small, the CMQ is ideal for shipping lots of queens at once, with loose attendant bees outside of the cages to care for them. 

When shipping a small number of queens, it makes more sense to put the attendant bees in the cage with them.  This cage has 3 holes drilled into it to accommodate the extra bees, so that is why it is called a 3-Hole cage.  If you are ordering less than 9 queens we will automatically send them with attendants.  If you are ordering queens for a group of people that will take them to different locations, you should order them with attendants. 

Q: What do I do with the hive over the winter?

A: The main concern in winter is that your bees have enough to eat, and are protected against any disease or threats.  A strong colony with at least 7-8 frames of bees will do best over the winter.  If you have weak colonies, you should combine your hives.  Your hives should have at least 35-50 lbs of honey for the winter, or you should feed them a pollen patty or hard candy.  Treat for disease in fall, before it gets too cold or too late.  Put on entrance reducers to keep out intruders as well as the cold.  Don’t bother the bees when it’s cold, usually from October to February.  Once it starts to warm up, check on your bees and give us a call if you need to order anything. 

Q: What is a cell? Can I requeen with one? Do you ship cells?

A: Cells are what a queen bee grows in before she hatches as a virgin queen.  The queen grows for 11 days in a cell, and will hatch mid-day on that 11th day.  Cells are very, very fragile (they grow in an incubator & proper queen development depends on the right conditions), and we do not ship them commercially.  On the 11th day, they are just strong enough to be transported. Cells start to hatch around noon on that 11th day, so they need to be installed before this time.

Unless you are an experienced beekeeper, we do not recommend using cells as a way to requeen. The reason for this is that the newly hatched queen is virgin and will need to mate properly before she can become a productive queen for your hive. Ideal mating will only happen in weather which is warm enough for the proper amount of time, and with enough drones in the area. Also, the queen will mate with whatever drones she can find...including those with traits which are not ideal to the beekeeper (i.e. African drones if you have some nearby). It's best to start with a mated queen from a reliable source.

We keep our mating yards stocked with Koehnen hives with plenty of drones. This ensures your queen the highest chance of having the desirable traits we select for.

If you prefer to try cells, we offer two ways to obtain them.  First, you can pick them up here on our ranch early in the morning (usually 5-6am).  Second, you can make arrangements with us to have them delivered to the Sacramento Airport by way of shuttle from Chico, CA (shuttle arrives about 7:30am at the airport for you to pick up there).  The shuttle does include an additional cost for transportation.

Cells are usually available starting in April, depending on when we start grafting and how good our supply is. Cell availability in March is dependent upon what we do not need for our own production & is a day-to-day thing.

Q: Do your packages come with a queen? How many bees are in one?

A: All of our packages come with a mated queen.  She is in a little cage hanging by a wire at the top of the cage, inside the package.  She is newly introduced to the package bees, so they will need a few days to get used to her before she is released out of the cage.   We never sell packages without a queen. There are roughly 3500-4000 bees per lb, and in a 3 lb package there are 10,500-12,000 bees.

Q:  What does it mean to have the queen marked? 

A: Marking a queen means that we put a little colored dot on her thorax so she is easy to find and track.  Most beginners appreciate having a queen marked, and any extra fee associated with it is well worth the cost.  We mark individual queens as well as package queens upon request.  For packages shipped through UPS, we automatically mark the queen. 

The color is pre-determined by year.  The colors are as follows: White, Yellow, Red, Green, and Blue.  For example, for all years ending in 0 or 5, the queens are marked with Blue.  For years ending in 1 or 6, they are marked with White.  By having a uniform color, it is easy for beekeepers to tell how old their queens are & to tell the source it came from. 

Q: Should I treat my bees for mites and diseases?

A: We recommend so, but it's up to you.  Check with your local clubs and associations for recommendations whether or not to treat, and what for, based on your location.

Q: Do you lower your price in the summer?

A: No.  With the high demand of queens well through the summer we keep our prices the same all year.