Enhance your apiary with our high-quality queen bees, expertly bred to strengthen and improve your hive. Choosing the right queen is crucial for the health and productivity of your colony, and our queens are selected to provide exceptional benefits, including resistance to pests and increased honey production.
Pol-line Queens Our VSH Pol-line Queen Honey Bees are specifically bred for their strong varroa mite resistance, addressing one of the most significant challenges faced by beekeepers. These queens not only can help in managing varroa mite infestations but also are recognized for their gentle nature and robust honey production capabilities. Ideal for beekeepers looking to re-queen or establish new colonies, each Pol-line queen arrives in a secure cage, accompanied by attendant bees, ready for introduction to your hive. All Pol-line queens come marked.
Italian Queens Our Italian Queen Honey Bees are renowned for their prolific brood-rearing capabilities and docility, making them a perfect choice for both commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. These queens contribute to creating a calm colony environment and are efficient in utilizing available resources to maximize honey yield. Like our Pol-line queens, they are shipped with attendant bees in specially designed cages to ensure their safe arrival and ease of integration into your existing or new hive. Choose from marked or unmarked Italian Queens.
Queens are generally available for pick-up starting mid-April, with exact dates communicated to customers as soon as they are confirmed. Please note that the appearance of queen cages and queen bee coloration may vary from the images shown.
Queens are not eligible for regular promotional discounts.
Quantities are limited and we expect them to sell out, so be sure to reserve your Queens ASAP!
By purchasing a queen, you agree to the terms below. Please read them in full before purchasing.
Ordering Instructions
We are NOT shipping any bees. Please choose "Pickup" at checkout. We will be in touch with you to give you updates as well as details on the specific Pick Up locations & times at The Honey House, our shop in Astoria, Queens. When filling out your contact information during checkout, please include your email, phone number, and address so we can be sure to have a way to reach you.
If you would like to order additional items(honey, etc) from our shop today, please make a separate order for those items so you can choose the appropriate shipping method.
If you get stuck at any time during checkout, please email us at hello@astorapiaries.com. We are here to help. :)
Notice About Weather & Pick-Up
We will be distributing queens from our storefront in Astoria, Queens called The Honey house at Astor Apiaries. Beekeeping is always dependent on weather and the pick-up date may be changed due to circumstances beyond our control. All customers will be contacted and updated as we have information. By purchasing a queen, you agree to any changes in the pick-up date and understand that this is not a valid reason for a refund. Please DO NOT purchase a queen if you have doubts about your schedule flexibility to pick-up.
You should be prepared to install your queen within 24-48 hours of receiving her. Please make sure your equipment and bees are ready.
We are NOT shipping any bees. Please choose "Pickup" at checkout.
Cancellation/Refunds
This purchase is non-refundable unless we are unable to fulfill your order due to circumstances within our control. If something happens to the queens and we can no longer fulfill them, we will refund the affected orders. Any circumstances not in our control, such as weather, your ability to pick up your queen, etc, are not valid reasons for a refund.
If you cannot pick up your queen, please consider asking someone else to pick it up for you or find someone to take over your queen. If you do this, please contact us immediately so we can collect the new customer's information and contact them.
If you just cancel, your payment will be forfeited. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please make sure you are able to collect your queen if you purchase her.
Returns
All queens will be visually inspected by our Master Beekeeper and you upon pick up. On occasion, a queen may not be properly mated. If you find that your queen is not laying within a week of her release, take a picture of the brood frames and contact us immediately.
Your queen should be installed within 24-48 hours of receiving her.
We are not responsible for the mishandling or death of the queen after you receive them. We are also not responsible for queens that are rejected/killed by your hive. This is a risk of queen introduction that is your responsibility once you install your queen. You are strongly encouraged to follow our installation instructions completely. We are here to answer questions and help you be successful, so please let us know if you need help.
Delivery
Unfortunately delivery is not available for queens.
For all other questions, send us a message through our Contact Form or to hello@astorapiaries.com.