Royal Alaskan Honey takes pride in delivering the healthiest bees and queens in the state of Alaska. In the rare case there is an issue, we want to help you and make it right. To do that we need your help. Please read the following policy and instructions regarding bee packages, nucs, and queens.
Our bees are guaranteed to be alive and in good health at time of pickup.
All bees need to be handled correctly. Once in your possesion, Royal Alaskan Honey is not responsible for any damaged deemed a result of improper handling.
Package bees. If a package queen is DOA, finish hiving, save the queen and cage, and contact us immediately. She will be replaced free of charge. If you suspect a queen is poorly mated, ‘bad’, or something is off with her or the workers, take pictures of her and the frames if then contact us as soon as possible. Once confirmed we will replace her free of charge. This past year had a failure rate of less than 1%.
Packages need to be hived ASAP. We use a plastic bee bus instead of a normal wooden package. Bee busses are more user friendly but the downside is these are designed for 3lbs of bees, not 4lbs like we use. Overheating can become an issue if left in the bee bus too long. The bees have been in the package for about 30 hrs by the time you receive them. If you have to wait till the next morning to hive, contact me or let me know at time of pick up and I will give you detailed instructions.
Nucs. Nucs are live beehives: You will receive a laying queen, 2-3 frames of brood in various stages, and enough bees to cover the brood. We can arrange inspection prior to pick up if you like. It is not recommended to inspect the day of, unless you do not mind returning later in the day, as the inspection will cause the bees to fly and not return immediately.
Nucs need to be well ventilated as they can overheat faster. Make sure that they are not covered by anything. Best transportation location and method depends on a lot of factors, but one of the best ways is in a pickup bed strapped down. DO NOT COVER ANY VENTS OR SCREENS! Contact me before pick up for the best method at that time.
Nucs and packages need to remain vented during transport. Do not cover with a jacket or blanket.
Queen bees. I recommend visually inspecting the queens at time of pick up to confirm condition and satisfaction. Transport queens in a shirt or light jacket pocket. They need to be kept warm but able to breath. Don’t place them in a pant pocket or on the car seat where they are exposed to a draft or potentially smoothered.
Please do not hesistate to ask any questions regarding transport and care. Better safe than sorry!
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