Product Overview
California Italian Package Bees with AFB-Vaccinated Queen
Enhance your colony's defense with this package that features a vaccinated Italian queen specifically designed to combat American Foulbrood. Dalan's Oral Honeybee Vaccine offers vital protection for both the queen and her brood, ensuring your colony is safeguarded against the harmful effects of American Foulbrood.
The California Italian bees included in this package are renowned for their resilience, adaptability, and outstanding honey production, making them particularly suited for areas with early honey flows. These exceptional Italian bees are carefully bred to thrive in challenging conditions, utilizing their unique ability to adjust colony population based on the availability of pollen and nectar—an ideal choice for beekeepers facing tough environments.
Honeybee colonies face various stressors, with American Foulbrood (AFB) being one of the most severe bacterial infections. Research indicates that up to 50% of hives tested in Canada and the United States contain the bacterial spores responsible for AFB. Developed by Dalan Animal Health, this groundbreaking solution is the first and only biologic conditionally licensed by the USDA-CVB to combat AFB. The vaccine is safe, non-chemical, and compatible with organic farming practices. When queen bees are orally inoculated with Dalan's vaccine, it provides protection through a biological process known as transgenerational immune priming (TGIP), allowing the queen to pass immunity to her offspring before they emerge. By exposing queen bees to inactive bacteria, the vaccine helps ensure that larvae hatched within the hive can resist infection.
California Italian Bees with AFB Vaccinated Queen Key Features
When choosing honey bees for your colony, consider the following key attributes of the Italian species:
- Effective foraging habits
- Strong cleaning behaviors
- Gentle and docile temperament
- Prolificity, with a keen focus on brood-raising
- Lesser swarm tendencies than other subspecies
- Exceptional productivity and honey production capacities
- Has a propensity for efficient comb building and super entry
See our installation guide here to help get your new Italian colony settled in.
California Italian Package Bees Order and Shipping Details
By purchasing these bees, either online, by phone, via email, in person, or by mail, you are agreeing to the bee policy. Package bee orders need to be prepaid and are subject to a $10 change or cancellation fee after the payment has been processed. Cancellations within 14 days of the bee's estimated ship date will incur a 50% cancellation fee. No cancellations or changes can be made within 7 days of the scheduled shipping date.
These bee packages are available while supplies last. The price includes shipping. Package bees are shipped via USPS Ground Advantage and will require pickup at your local post office, so a valid phone number must be entered with every order, so that the post office can contact you. Unfortunately, due to US Postal regulations and additional shipping risk to the bees, the bees are unable to be shipped expedited via air transport (Priority Mail, UPS 2nd Day, UPS Next Day). You will receive an email with tracking information once the shipping label has been created.
Every attempt will be made to supply your bees on the scheduled date. However, numerous conditions can affect the production of package bees that are outside of anybodys control, such as weather, shipping delays, etc. As a result, we reserve the right to change pre-selected ship dates as needed. We also reserve the right to substitute a different breed of package in the event that the breed originally selected is unavailable; a refund will be issues for any difference in pricing.
There is always a risk when shipping live animals, so every shipped package purchase includes insurance. Any package with 1-1/2" or more of dead bees, spread evenly on the bottom of the package, is eligible for a refund or replacement, as long as certain criteria is met:
- You must use the contact form found here to report death/damage within 24 hours of receipt or the insurance guarantee is void.
- You must provide a photo of the shipping label & a clear, well-lit photo of the dead/damaged package showing more than 1-1/2" of dead bees on the bottom of the package when spread evenly. The photo must show the entire package from the side. Claims without photo proof of damage will be denied.
Every effort is made to ship replacements, if available, on the next shipping date; however, replacements are not guaranteed. If replacements are not available to ship, a refund will be issued to your original payment method. Only 1 replacement is damaged in transit, a refund will be issued to the original payment method. All refunds will be issued within 7 - 10 business days after receipt of all required documentation. We reserve the right to substitute a different breed for the replacement package.
Lappe's Bee Supply does not guarantee that you will be able to successfully establish a colony with the package. You agree that you will not attempt to hold Lappe's Bee Supply responsible for the condition fo your package bees once picked up and in your possession, or the for the survival or productivity of the hive that you establish from the package. We will not provide refunds or replacements for package bees that fail to thrive or die after receipt.
