Koehnen queens are usually available April through June or July, depending upon the season. We have two types of queens, the Cordovan Italian and the Carniolan. All queens are naturally mated, new queens are caged by our trained crews only days before we ship to you. Availability of Queens is dependent on weather and other factors which are OUT OF OUR CONTROL. Prescheduled date and quantities are NOT GUARANTEED.
GETTING STARTED Pre-Order Form
SOLD OUT FOR 2023 SEASON
Fill out this quick form and one of our Koehnen Queen specialists will give you a call to discuss your order
SECURE FORM This is an inquiry form only and not a commitment to purchase
Two Types of Queens
Cordovan Italian
We've been producing Italian Queens since the 30s, however, our Cordovan breeding project began in approximately 1975. Our Italians have been exclusively lighter colored Cordovans ever since, with color ranging from light yellow to rust. They have many fine qualities; the queens are very prolific, they are known for their rapid spring buildup and they are extremely gentle. They are proven to be very hygienic. Two thirds of our production is this Italian.

Carniolan
At the request of beekeepers in colder climates of the Northern states, we also produce the Carniolan cross. Our Carniolan breeders are mated in an isolated area and observed for a year prior to use in our breeding program. The Carniolan virgins are mated with our Italian drones, resulting in an excellent mix of both Italian and Carniolan traits which many customers prefer. The queen exhibits typical Carniolan overwintering behavior and her offspring possess the gentleness of our Italians.

Queen Pricing
SOLD OUT FOR 2023 SEASON
Marked queen is included
Marking included for orders up to 8 Queens. The cost of marking any orders over 8 is $1.50 additional per queen.
Queens with attendants are $1.00 additional per queen on orders over 8 queens.



Shipping of Queens

All queens are shipped UPS Next Day Air to any location in the continental U.S. (we do not ship internationally or to Hawaii). We do not ship via USPS or FedEx.
Shipping costs are set by UPS and not by C.F. Koehnen & Sons and are subject to change. We generally have excellent success with our UPS queen shipments; risk is minimal and less that 1% of our shipments arrive late.
If you provide an email at the time of your order, we will input that into our UPS system, and you will receive an email from UPS directly containing your tracking number. You can always call our office on a delayed shipment and we will track it further and discuss the situation with UPS directly.
Queen Cells
$10.50 ea
We have 11 day queen cells available for pickup only. They are ready as early as 6:00am and will hatch at approximately noon the same day.
Cell availability is variable and must be pre arranged with our office. Generally cells come available about April 1st, but occasionally earlier. Please call.
We do NOT SHIP queen cells, however we do offer transportation on certain days via a local shuttle to the Sacramento airport. Cost is additional based on the shuttle company's rates.
