Sale of Live Bees Policy

Last updated: 23 October 2026

1. About this policy

This policy explains how we sell live bees: nucleus colonies and queen bees. It is part of your contract with us, together with our Terms and Conditions and our Delivery and Shipping page. If they conflict about live bees, this policy applies.

We sell:

5-frame nucleus colonies (nucs), collection only from our farm
mated queen bees, sent by post

Live bees are living animals, so they carry risks that other products do not. Please read this policy before you order.

2. How we look after bee health

Healthy bees matter to us and to every beekeeper. We follow the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 and the National Bee Unit’s best practice guideline for selling nuclei.

Inspections. We regularly inspect our colonies and nuclei, including for the notifiable diseases and pests: American foulbrood (AFB), European foulbrood (EFB), small hive beetle and Tropilaelaps mites. We do not sell bees we suspect are diseased.
What inspection can and cannot show. An inspection shows what we could see on the day. No colony is completely free of pests and diseases, and varroa is established across the UK, so we cannot guarantee that bees are free of every disease.
Varroa control. We treat only with veterinary medicines authorised for use in the UK, and we record each treatment and its date. We also use non-chemical methods, including breeding from colonies that show varroa-resistant traits.
Records and traceability. For every nucleus we sell, we keep a record of its origin, the date of collection and the buyer. We may share buyer details with the National Bee Unit where bee health rules require it. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your data.
Training and registration. The people who inspect our bees are trained to recognise bee diseases and pests, and we are registered on BeeBase.

3. Imported queens

Some of our queens are imported. Under UK import rules, honey bee imports are limited to queens with their attendant bees. We do not import nucleus colonies, packages or full colonies.

Before we import. We complete the required notifications and health certification with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Health certificate. Imported queens travel with an official health certificate from the exporting country.
Checks on arrival. The National Bee Unit checks each consignment. This can include inspecting the packaging and taking samples for laboratory testing, mainly to guard against small hive beetle and Tropilaelaps mites.
If there is a problem. If an import is delayed or stopped for bee health reasons, we will tell you and either rearrange your order or refund you.

We tell you in our product descriptions whether each queen is UK-raised or imported, and her breed, before you order.

4. Nucleus colonies (5-frame nucs)

What you get. A 5-frame nucleus is a small working colony on British Standard National DN4 frames. It contains a mated, laying queen, brood in all stages, stores of honey and pollen, and enough worker bees to cover the frames. This matches the National Bee Unit’s description of a nucleus.

Types and dates. Overwintered nucs are available from April. Seasonally produced nucs are available from May.

Booking and payment. A booking fee reserves your nucleus. You pay the balance by the date we agree. If you cancel, or do not pay the balance by that date, the nucleus goes back on sale and the booking fee is not refunded. If we cannot supply your nucleus, we refund the booking fee in full. Section 6 (Live bees) of our Terms and Conditions has the full terms.

Collection. Nucleus colonies are collection only, from Honeyfields Bee Farm, Mile Tree Lane, Aldermans Green, Coventry, CV2 1NT, by appointment. Collection days are Friday and Saturday. We contact you when your nucleus is ready and agree a day and time. Your nucleus is supplied in a polystyrene nuc box or a temporary correx travel box. We record your name, address and the collection date for traceability.

Taking your bees home

Keep the box level and secure so it cannot slide or tip.
Keep it cool and out of direct sunlight, and never leave it in a parked car.
Drive straight home and transfer the colony into its hive the same day, in the late afternoon or evening. A travel box has limited space and ventilation.
If your nucleus is in a polystyrene box, you can let it settle for a day or two, but transfer it promptly to prevent overcrowding.
Feed the colony after transfer. It will need energy to draw new comb.

5. Queen bees: dispatch and delivery

Our queens. Our queens are naturally mated. We stock Buckfast and Carniolan queens, which are either raised in the UK or imported (see section 3). Each queen is marked with the year’s colour and supplied in a travel cage with a few attendant worker bees and food.

Availability. We supply queens from April to September, weather permitting.

Dispatch. Orders placed before 9am, Monday to Friday, are dispatched the same day when the queen is in stock. We do not dispatch queens on Saturdays or Sundays. In very hot, cold or stormy weather, or if there is disruption on the Royal Mail network, we may hold a dispatch to protect the queens. We will tell you if we do.

Delivery. We send queens by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which is a tracked service. You will receive an email with your tracking number when we dispatch your order. Please give a delivery address where someone can take the parcel in on the day. A queen should not be left outside or in a safe place. If nobody is in, Royal Mail will take her back to the sorting office for you to collect, so please collect her as soon as you can. It is your responsibility to be in for delivery, and we cannot be responsible for the delay if you miss the attempted delivery.

Where we deliver. We send queens to addresses in Great Britain. At this time we cannot send queen bees to Northern Ireland because of post-Brexit trade rules.

Packaging. Queens travel in ventilated cages with attendant bees and enough food for the journey. The cages are packed in sturdy boxes marked as containing live bees, with handling instructions for postal staff.

When your queen arrives. Keep her cage indoors at room temperature (around 16 to 20°C), in a quiet, dim place. Never put her in a refrigerator, in direct sunlight or in a parked car. Place one tiny drop of water on the cage mesh once a day. Introduce her to your queenless colony as soon as you can. Our guide to introducing a queen explains how.

6. If something goes wrong

A queen arrives dead or unwell. Queens stay at our risk until they are delivered to you. Please contact us on the day she arrives, and within 24 hours at the latest, with photos of the queen, the cage, the packaging and the parcel label. If she was dead or unwell on arrival, we will replace her or refund you.

A queen is late. If your queen has not arrived by the end of the working day after dispatch, please contact us straight away. We will chase the parcel with Royal Mail. If it does not arrive in good time, we will send a replacement or refund you. If it arrives late and the queen is dead or unwell, the rule above applies.

A queen is drone-laying or not laying. Send us photos of the brood as evidence, within 28 days of delivery. We will replace her. We may ask you to return her.

A queen is not accepted by your colony. Whether a colony accepts a queen depends on the colony and how the introduction is done, so we cannot guarantee acceptance and we do not replace queens that are not accepted. We are happy to give advice on introduction.

Temperament and performance. Most of our queens have a good temperament, but we cannot guarantee it. Queens mate freely with local drones, so temperament, honey yield and wintering depend on more than the queen. We cannot guarantee these.

Nucleus colonies. We cannot open nucleus colonies for inspection on collection days. Every nucleus is thoroughly inspected 24 hours before collection, then kept in a cool, dark place overnight until it is collected early the next morning. It will be healthy and ready to transfer into your full-size hive. After you collect it, we cannot be responsible for what happens on the journey or after transfer, such as overheating. This does not affect your legal rights if the bees were not as described when you collected them. Please tell us about any problem on the day you collect your nucleus.

Returns and cancellations. Live bees cannot be returned. Our cancellation and booking fee terms in our Terms and Conditions explain cancellations and booking fees.

Your legal rights. Nothing in this policy affects your rights under consumer law.

7. Your responsibilities as a buyer

Once bees are in your care, they are your responsibility. Please make sure you are ready for them.

Experience and equipment. Keeping bees takes knowledge, equipment and time. If you are new, take a beginners’ course and join a local beekeeping association before your bees arrive, and have your hive ready.
Register on BeeBase. BeeBase is the National Bee Unit’s free online service. It helps protect your bees and other beekeepers’ bees from pests and diseases. You can also record your purchase of bees on it.
Know the notifiable pests and report them. If you suspect American foulbrood, European foulbrood, small hive beetle or Tropilaelaps mites, you must tell the National Bee Unit or your local bee inspector immediately.
Keep records. Note where your bees came from, and keep a record of any bees you move or sell.
Stings and allergies. Bee stings can cause severe allergic reactions. If you or anyone nearby may be allergic, get medical advice before keeping bees. Wear protective clothing, and keep children and pets away from your hives.
Be a considerate beekeeper. Site your hives with your neighbours in mind, and follow any rules that apply where you live.
Age. We sell bees to beekeepers of all ages. Children and young people must keep bees under adult supervision where necessary.

8. Useful links

These official sources explain bee health, buying bees and importing queens in more detail.

Sale Of Live Bees Policy