Product Overview
3 lb. Package Honey Bees with Carniolan Queen
"Please note: these package bees will be available for pick up in early April 2025 only"
Package bees need to be transported to your bee hive location in a cool, protected area with plenty of ventilation and out of the sun. If your package(s) are in a tightly enclosed location without sufficient air flow, they will get seriously overheated, which can kill the bees or ruin your queens laying abililty.
Are you in search of a dependable source to buy top-notch package honey bees? Look no further than Lappe's Bee Supply and Honey Farm LLC. We are pleased to announce that we are currently accepting orders for our highly sought-after 3-pound bee packages, which include exceptional Carniolan queens. These packages will be available for pick-up in Spring 2025, so it is advisable to secure your order promptly as they tend to sell out quickly!
What sets our bee packages apart? Well, apart from being the best package bees available on the market, we prioritize transparency. The price you see is the price you pay. There are no hidden fees, and the package price already includes sales tax. Our packages provide you with all the necessary honey bees required for a thriving hive. This includes nurse bees, foragers, guards, drones, and, of course, a young Carniolan queen safely enclosed in a hanging queen cage. It's everything you need to kickstart your beekeeping journey!
Whether you are an experienced beekeeper or just starting out, our package honey bees are perfect for anyone looking to expand or begin their apiary. With our exceptional bees and comprehensive packages, you will have everything you need to establish a thriving colony and enjoy the rewarding experience of beekeeping. So don't miss out on this opportunity and place your order with us today!
If you are ordering other beekeeping equipment that you would like to pick up at the same time as your package(s), please feel free to place on the same order; however, if you would like to order other equipment and have it shipped to you ahead of time, please place on a separate order from your package(s).
Package Honey Bees Terms & Conditions
We have handy instructions here on how to install your package honey bees into your bee hive.
Carniolan Honey Bees Information
First and foremost, Carniolan bees are extremely gentle for bee keepers to work. In fact, during the summer months when the honey flow keeps them busy, it will appear as though they could care less that you are in their bee hive. If you do have an aggressive hive, it could be a sign that you have mites; having a higher Varroa mite population can agitate the bees, which will make them more aggressive towards you when you approach their colonies. Carniolan honey bees build up their population early in the spring, and they are able to maintain high populations all summer due to the mated queens laying lots of eggs. This strong workforce will result in excellent honey production, Carniolan bees are excellent pollinators. They are also very adept at adjusting worker population to nectar flows. Carniolans can rapidly expand workers after nectar becomes available in the early spring, but can also cut off brood production when honey flow cuts off. Consequently, Carniolan honey bees are able to have large stores of honey and pollen during the summer, but because of this, they can have a higher tendency to swarm if not kept under careful observation, and each hive can issue several swarms. Another good trait of the Carniolan honey bee is that they get out to forage earlier in the morning, and stay out longer in the evenings. They are also good foragers on cool, wet days, getting out of the hive while some other strains of bees stay in. It is easy to have several Carniolan honeybees colonies in one apiary, since the Carniolan worker bee is less prone to robbing than other strains of bees.
Carniolan bees easily adapt to most climates, and they have good resistance to Varroa mites, wax moths and other honeybee pests; we still recommend treating each spring and each fall against mites, though, since there is no such thing as a honey bee that is totally resistant to the Varroa mite. Carniolan bees produce minimum propolis and keep a clean hive. They also have an excellent sense of direction, and tend to drift between hives less than other types of bees. Carniolan honey bees are able to overwinter successfully in smaller numbers, which means they are better than some other types of bees at conserving food stores, which makes them better in areas that have longer winters. Generally, Carniolan bees are darker in appearance than other types of bees, although they have been known to have "tiger striped" rings on their bodies. Some Carniolan families may have also been crossed with some Italians, either inadvertantly or on purpose, which can result in a lighter colored bee. One downside to the darker color is that the queen herself can be a darker color, which makes her harder to find on the frames in the brood box, since she can tend to blend in with the other bees and the combs. As long as eggs can be seen in the cells of the honeycomb, though, you can be guaranteed and rest assured that she is in there and doing her job.
Carniolan Honey Bee: A Comprehensive Review and Comparison
The Carniolan honey bee, known scientifically as Apis mellifera carnica, originates from the Carniola region of Slovenia and thrives in climates with extreme seasonal variations. Esteemed for their adaptability and Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) compliant Carniolan queen bees, these honey bees have gained popularity, especially among those looking for Carniolan bees for sale to enhance their beekeeping endeavors.
Physical Characteristics and Behavior
The Carniolan honey bee, a subspecies of the western honey bee, exhibits distinct physical characteristics and behavioral traits that set it apart from other honey bee varieties. Known for their gentle demeanor towards beekeepers, Carniolan bees are recognized by their dusky brown-grey coloration, accented with stripes of a lighter brown. This coloring, along with their slightly slimmer abdomens compared to other bee species, contributes to their nickname, the "grey bee." Carniolans possess one of the longest tongues among honey bees, measuring 6.5 to 6.7 mm, allowing them to access nectar from deep-throated flowers that other bees cannot.
Behaviorally, Carniolan bees are celebrated for their excellent sense of orientation, reducing the incidence of bees drifting to neighboring hives. This trait, coupled with their ability to adjust worker populations based on nectar availability, makes them highly adaptable. They demonstrate a rapid expansion of worker bee populations following the onset of nectar flow in spring and reduce brood production when nectar becomes scarce. Furthermore, Carniolans are known to forage earlier in the morning, later in the evening, and even on cooler, wetter days, showcasing their hardiness and dedication to collecting nectar.
Key Behavioral Traits:
- Gentle Nature: Less defensive and less prone to stinging, making hive inspections smoother.
- Adaptability: Capable of quickly adjusting the size of the worker bee population in response to changes in nectar availability.
- Efficient Foragers: Their longer tongues enable them to forage on a wider variety of flowers, including those with deep nectaries.
- Resilience: Exhibits strong overwintering capabilities, thriving in regions with long winters.
- Disease Resistance: Shows a heightened resistance to certain parasites and diseases, contributing to overall hive health.
These characteristics, combined with their gentle nature and efficient foraging habits, make Carniolan honey bees a preferred choice for beekeepers aiming for successful beekeeping operations.
Advantages of Carniolan Bees for Beekeeping
The Carniolan honey bee, with its remarkable adaptability and resilience, offers a plethora of advantages for beekeeping, particularly for those new to the practice or residing in colder climates. Their gentle nature and productivity stand out as key benefits:
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Climate Resilience and Foraging Ability:
- Thrives in cold climates, efficiently overwinters in smaller numbers to conserve honey stores.
- Capable of foraging on colder, wet days and during overcast conditions, leading to a 15% increase in honey yield compared to other species.
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Behavioral Traits:
- Extremely docile, reducing the risk of bee stings, ideal for backyard or neighborhood beekeeping.
- Excellent sense of orientation minimizes drifting, ensuring forager bees return to their own hive.
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Health and Sustainability:
- High resistance to diseases and parasites, including those affecting brood, enhances hive health.
- Rapid spring buildup and ability to match brood rearing to conditions ensure a strong workforce ready for major nectar flows, making Carniolan bees economically sustainable.
These characteristics not only make Carniolan honey bees a preferred choice for beekeepers but also contribute to their reputation as one of the most sustainable and gentle bee species suitable for a variety of environments.
Behavioral Traits and Advantages
The behavioral traits and advantages of Carniolan honey bees are nuanced, reflecting a blend of inherent qualities and challenges that beekeepers must navigate. Key points include:
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Adaptive Brood Management: The Carniolan queen bee exhibits a remarkable ability to adjust brood production based on the availability of nectar and pollen. This adaptive strategy ensures the colony's survival during lean periods but requires careful management to prevent hindering colony growth and future harvests.
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Breeding and Hybridization Challenges:
- Breeding programs can enhance specific traits, making bees more resilient or productive. However, maintaining pure Carniolan strains is challenging due to natural mating behaviors, leading to hybridization with other bee varieties such as Buckfast and Russian bees, which possess their unique resistances to pests and diseases.
- Carniolan bees' propensity for swarming, especially during early and abundant honey flows, necessitates vigilant space management by beekeepers to prevent loss of colonies.
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Environmental Sensitivities:
- Carniolan bees demonstrate a lower tolerance for hot summer weather, which can affect their productivity and survival.
- The strength of the brood nest is directly influenced by pollen availability, indicating a strong dependence on environmental conditions for colony health.
FAQs
How effective are Carniolan bees at producing honey?
Carniolan honeybees are outstanding when it comes to honey production. They start their foraging early in the spring, which allows them ample time to gather resources not only for your honey supply but also for their own winter provisions.
Which bee species should I choose, Italian or Carniolan?
The choice between Italian and Carniolan bees depends on your priorities and experience level. Italian bees are recommended for beginners due to their gentle nature and lower tendency to sting. However, if your focus is on honey production, Carniolan bees might be the better choice as they quickly accumulate stores and tend to survive winters well. Both species have their merits, so you can't really make a wrong choice.
What distinguishes the Carniolan bee?
Carniolan bees boast several notable characteristics, including their calm and gentle nature when handled on the comb, exceptional orientation skills that are arguably the best among bee species, and a high resistance of their brood to diseases and parasites. They also consume less food during the winter and have one of the longest tongues, second only to the Caucasian honey bee, aiding in efficient nectar collection.
We sell packaged honeybees to customers all around the Midwest United States, including listings in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio. We bring our packages here in a custom designed, climate controlled truck that keeps the bees at just the right temperature with the right amount of fresh air, which guarantees that your bees will be the healthiest bees possible! We have over 25 years of experience in package bees and queen breeding. If you are looking for live bee hives, you can't beat our packaged bees!
