Approximately a week before your bees are ready for you to collect we will send you a confirmation text and email to let you know.  This will give you the collection date and time when we will be expecting you and the place from which to collect your bees.  Attached to the email will also be a guidance sheet on collecting and transiting your bees.

At this point you need to ensure the “Bee Site” for your new hive is well established. Don’t leave it until the day before the collection to establish the site as the bees won’t appreciate it!!  Especially if there is still work to do or going on whilst they are trying to settle in.

On the day of collection please ensure you stick to your allocated collection time as there will be others collecting hives and bees on the same day. We allow a good margin between each collection to prevent you waiting. Remember the bees’ health and welfare are our priority, so if you are going to be late please let us know as soon as possible.  The last thing we want is for the bees to start overheating.

All of our collections are aimed to be completed in the morning.  This ensures both your new bees and you have sufficient time (in transit) to get back, allowing you plenty of time and daylight to get the bees established into their new home and settled in.

We welcome questions and chatter as we know you will be excited about your new bees.  But please remember the bees’ welfare is paramount.  You can always email us your questions later once the bees are home and settled.

Please ensure you bring the following items to transit your bees by car.  A luggage securing strap which can be obtained from any hardware store, a sheet or cover and a hand operated spray bottle filled with water.  An old bed sheet is perfect as it’s lightweight, cool and will help keep the bees covered and dark in transit. You can also use the bed sheet again for swarm collection later on.  If you don’t have a sheet, a picnic blanket will do the job just as well.

Once you have collected your bees, if the weather is warm, please ensure the car is kept cool either with air conditioning or wind down the windows to ensure good circulation of air from outside.  Please don’t let the bees overheat in transit as they can die very quickly and this is easily avoidable.

Your bees will have been inspected prior to being boxed to ensure they are healthy, they are “queen right” with brood at all stages of development, and they have sufficient stores to ensure they can survive for several days should the weather change.  Your bees will need to be be re-hived within 2 – 7 days of arrival to allow them to expand and start to grow the colony.  If the weather conditions are right and you are confident enough to handle your bees, you could establish them in their new hive straight away.  If however, the weather is not favourable to transfer the bees, they can remain in the transit box for several days, but please ensure it is protected with a cover to shield it from direct sunlight and rain. Site the transit box right where their new home entrance will be. Open the round yellow front entrance stop and allow the bees to get out and forage.  When ready the bees can then be transferred with the minimum amount of disturbance to their established routine.

Please don’t forget to bring with you the remaining balance owed for the bees on the day of collection.