Buy Healthy Honey Bees!
Let’s face it guys, not every business understands the importance of integrity and ensuring the customer receives a perfect product. In fact, some self-proclaimed beekeepers are not beekeepers at all!
You know those guys who drive south to buy a trailer load of watermelons and sit on the side of the road for 2 weeks trying to sell them? Well, some wanna-be “bee sellers” do the same thing.
I hate to disappoint you, but some have realized there is money to be made by simply transporting or shipping honeybee packages. The issue is they don’t have the experience to care for them properly.
Yes, I do also see this opportunity, and appreciate that as well, but I am a beekeeper and I do know how to properly care for these honeybees in all kinds of weather conditions. I have seen some pretty sad situations where people cage the honeybees and keep them trapped in the cage for over a week! Yep, 7 days! That’s ridiculous and it leans toward cruelty in my eyes.
5 Tips for Purchasing Healthy Bees
- Find out as much information about the seller as you can. Are they reputable?
- What is the history of the bees and how long have they been held in the cage?
- Purchase hygienic bees. These bees have been bred to have the VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene) trait.
- Join a local beekeeping club. Their members will be some of the greatest mentors, friends, and companions on your beekeeping journey.
- Order early.
Since opening our doors in 1999, Bee Well Honey strives to cage the bees the evening before you receive them – less than 24 hours in the cage is the goal.
The bees are shaken from various colonies and given a freshly mated queen then brought to our warehouse and handed to you early the next morning.
Think about all the things that can happen if they were to be held in the cage for days at a time: dehydration, stress, constipation, diarrhea. That’s just the start of it. They can overheat or get chilled and the list goes on and on.
Now let me be clear, you will always have a few dead bees in the package due to normal mortality and management, but if you should see inches of dead bees piled in the bottom of the package refuse them and ask for the money back.
If the business is honest and fair he will understand. I believe in keeping the bees happy and my customers happy too! You don’t have to buy them from me but look for the people that respect the bees and support them.
Bee Well this bee season!
