Bee packages, colonies and queens: how to buy well
First decide what exactly you are buying
A bee package, a full colony on frames and a single queen are three different purchases. A package is bees with a queen but without comb; you put it in a hive on ready frames with foundation. A colony on frames already has built comb, brood and stores, so it starts faster, but costs more. A queen is bought to replace an old or weak one, and can be fertile, unmated, or a queen cell.
For a beginner it is usually simpler to buy a colony on frames in the season, or a package before the main flow. Do not try to introduce queens on your own without experience.
Bee type, strength, timing
The bee type affects temper and yield. In India people commonly keep Italian bees (Apis mellifera), which are productive but need feeding in a dearth, and the local Indian hive bee (Apis cerana), which is hardy and suited to local flowers, though it gives less honey and may abscond. Do not promise yourself the “perfect bee”: a pure line is confirmed by the beekeeper who does the breeding work.
The strength of a colony depends on the number of frames with brood and bees. A package of “4 frames” is already a decent size, and the hive you pick must match the frame size. Timing matters too: packages are most often sold just before a main honey flow, when beekeepers make their splits.
What to put in your request
- what exactly — bee packages, colonies on frames, fertile queens or queen cells;
- type of bee — Italian, Indian hive bee;
- quantity of packages, colonies or queens;
- frame size and strength — type of frame, number of frames with brood;
- delivery date — a month or a date;
- queen — year, marked, fertile, line;
- treatments and health — treatment against varroa, no diseases, a health certificate;
- district for pick-up and budget.
Example: “I need 10 Italian bee packages on 4 frames in February, with queens from this year, treated against varroa mites, with a health certificate. Pune district, pick-up.”
How to compare offers
The price per package says little until the frames, the bee type and the age of the queen match. Ask whether the beekeeper gives a health certificate, when the last treatment against varroa was, and whether you can visit the apiary and look. An honest seller shows you the colonies, not just photos.
Plan the transport too: bees are moved early in the morning or in the evening, in ventilated containers. Ask whether the seller delivers or you collect.
How BlaBlaPrice works for beekeepers
You describe what you need once on BlaBlaPrice, and beekeepers in your region reply in the chat: what they offer, the bee type and strength, price and timing. The platform shows the best-fitting offer first, with reviews next to each. Your contacts are opened only to the seller you choose. Details are on the “How it works” page.
For equipment, feed and other things, look at the “Farm animals” section.
