Package Bees are available early April through about May 15th, depending upon the season. Orders should be scheduled well in advance due to high demand. Package Bees are available for PICKUP ONLY in 3 sizes, with queen of your choice. We are happy to fill orders of any size! Availability of Package Bees is dependent on weather and other factors which are OUT OF OUR CONTROL. Prescheduled date and quantities are NOT GUARANTEED.
Any Size You Need
Large Orders
We specialize in larger package bee pickup orders. These orders require an extensive amount of planning by our crews and office staff (we know it takes considerable planning on your part as well) --we will work with you to plan out your package pickup. Although we will always do our best to get you the pickup date you request (Monday through Saturday during package bee season), it is not always possible due to weather and/or Mother Nature.
Marked queens in orders over quantity of 20 are $1.50 more per package. For quantities over 100, please order in multiples of 5 whenever possible (this is due to crating being in bundles of 5). Please note: marking is NOT available for orders of 100 or more packages.
Small Orders (for pick-up only)
We are also happy to provide bees to the hobbyist beekeeper! Therefore we offer smaller package pickup orders (20 or less) on Saturday mornings. Generally, this includes the first Saturday in April through about the first Saturday in May. Because your bees are shaken in advance, these orders require pre-scheduling. For small package pickups we offer the 3 lb. packages only with your choice of queen, which includes marking and new cage.
Package Bee Pricing
NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR 2023
Package bee pricing is based on the size of the package and includes a queen (either type). Cages are charged separately. Please factor in the cage cost when calculating the total price. We do accept returns on cages. The amount refunded on a cage return depends on the condition of the cage when it is returned. We deduct a use fee from the original price on all cages returned for credit. Cages can be returned any time in the future. We recommend you store your cages indoors, away from weather and other factors if you plan to return them. Cages in poor condition will not be credited. If you have empty cages to return and would like to avoid cage charges, we would be more than happy to refill your cages (which must be clean and in good condition). We start accepting the cages in early January and as late as two days prior to your scheduled shake date. We do not reuse the feed can, please discard before bringing back your cages. We only accept standard American st yle cages, as other types do not fit our equipment.
Quantity
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
Quantity
100 or more
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
$78.00
$102.00
$126.00
Quantity
50 - 99
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
$80.00
$104.00
$128.00
Quantity
21 - 49
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
$81.00
$105.00
$129.00
Quantity
11 - 20
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
N/A
$107.00
N/A
Quantity
1 - 10
2 lbs
3 lbs
4 lbs
N/A
$109.00
N/A
The price per package shown above does not include cage cost.
The availability of 4 lb. packages is based on supply and is not always guaranteed.
New Cage Cost
Used cage availability is variable for orders over 20; please call for details. Orders of 20 or less are always shaken into NEW cages.
Size
Price
Size
2 lb Cage
Price
$7.00
Size
3 lb Cage
Price
$8.00
Size
4 lb Cage
Price
$9.00
What About Shipping?
We do NOT ship package bees via UPS or mail. If you are far away from us and need a source for Koehnen packages, please see our Bee Resources page--it's likely one of our larger customers is headed your direction, or will ship to you once they pickup their large order. You can find a local source for Koehnen bees at Sources & Supplies
