Pickup options anticipated in Shoreline, WA and Carnation, WA. Pickup in Olympia, WA possible if there is sufficient interest.

We got package pricing early this year, so we’re open for early orders. Buy now for Early Bee pricing (and start putting together that awesome beginning beekeeping Christmas package that you know you or someone you love is wanting!). Early Bee pricing expires 12/31.

3 lbs of bees with a mated Golden West queen (find Italian, Carniolan, Saskatraz here). Packages are produced by Olivarez Honey Bees.

Pickup TBD in April. Purchasers will be updated with a pickup date as soon as it is confirmed. In case of multiple pickup dates, pickups will be scheduled in the order of purchase.

Happy Beekeeping!

Peter and Amy Beth

About the Golden West queen line:

The Golden West queen line was developed by Eric, Ian, and Randy Oliver, of Golden West Bees and scientificbeekeeping.com. The Olivers keep their bees in the foothills of northern California. While it's not Washington, the bees experience the full range of weather, and adapt well to our area. We've used the Olivers' bees ourselves for the last 10 years, and they have done a terrific job with both survival and honey production in our cold, wet, unpredictable Puget Sound climate.

Randy Oliver is known for his honey bee research, and it shows in the bees that he and his sons raise. They are productive, gentle, and have a reasonable degree of mite resistance (NOT mite immunity. Plan to treat your bees for mites). If well managed, the Olivers' bees will serve you well for many years.

Golden West queens tend towards an Italian look, but as a hybrid line can look like any number of races. They overwinter with moderately large clusters, and are very easy to work with (we always work the Olivers' bees barehanded, and very rarely have any issues).