IN STOCK F1 Buckfast queens are the result of the pioneering breeding work of the Benedictine monk "Brother Adam", who travelled all over the globe to create the "perfect bee". ORDER ONLINE ONLY - LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE EACH WEEK - SELECT YOUR PREFERED DISPATCH WEEK AND DAY TO SEND. THE DATE YOU SELECT IS THE DAY OF DISPATCH, WE OFFER DELIVERY 7 DAYS A WEEK (excluding bank holidays).

Pre order with distribution beginning late March 2024
SKU:
buck24
Rating:
100% of 100
£39.00

Please order all Queens separately from other products, failure to do so may result in delays, incorrect tax being calculated, or incorrect postage being applied (or not at all). If you are ordering Queens for different dates these must be made separately so you are charged the correct postage, otherwise additional postage will be due. This includes mixing an order with different breeds available at different dates! THE DATE YOU SELECT IS THE DAY OF DISPATCH.

Available during Late March - September 2024. Marked & mated F1 Buckfast Queens.

We now offer a full 7 day next day Queen service using Royal Mail Special Delivery®! *Excluding bank holidays

You will receive -
- A marked (Green for 2024), open mated, unclipped, F1 Buckfast Queen (with 4-6 attendant bees) in a slow release candy introduction cage (Nicot, Lyson, JzBz or equivalent).
- Full A4 colour double sided instructions covering various methods of introduction & scenarios. You can view our full introduction guidelines here.
- A fully marked "LIVE BEES" ventilated jiffy bag (or box for larger orders).
- Acceptance is never guaranteed, please bear this in mind as we cannot do anything should your colony reject the Queen (even when following our instructions).

This is a stock controlled system, our availability runs Thursdays - Wednesdays each week. Select your preferred allocation week and the day in which you wish for your Queen(s) to be dispatched (NOT THE DAY OF ARRIVAL).

You will receive a confirmation of your order upon completion containing all details selected when ordering (including your selected dispatch date!), please check your spam folders and ensure your email address is 100% correct, typos are a common issue. On the day of dispatch you will also receive a shipment email, this will contain your Royal Mail tracking number with a direct link to their Track & Trace service.

Please note to beginners - you cannot start a colony with a queen only, you require a 5 /6 frame nuc to start beekeeping.

We are the UK's number 1 for Queen Bees, with over a decade of retailing Queen Bees you can count on our reliability and quality to deliver your stock, on time, as needed. Check our outstanding Trustpilot feedback -

We recommend for guaranteed next day arrival to select "Special Delivery" on the shipping page.
Queens generally can be kept caged safely for about 5 days after arrival when kept in a cool dark place and watered twice a day.

QUEEN POSTAGE PRICES - All queens require a signature on arrival - no exceptions. Prices quoted are for UK only - we do not post overseas or to Ireland. Certain postcodes are excluded from the 1pm gaurantee, see Royal Mail website. Certain Postcodes are exempt from Sunday Delivery, see Royal Mail Website 1PM Gaurantee only applies to Weekday deliveries.
Special Delivery Next Day® (Monday - Sunday)

1 - 5 Queens £8.93
6 - 25 Queens £9.32
26 - 50 Queens £10.74
51 - 100 Queens £14.11
101 + Queens £19.56

Royal Mail Tracked 24® (Monday - Sunday)
We must regretfully inform, due to poor service offered by Royal Mail, any customer using Tracked 24 does so at their own risk. Some items are taking up to 5 days to arrive, totally unacceptable service for "24 hour delivery". We highly recommend all customers use Special Delivery to Guarantee safe arrival, we cannot replace or chase any delays should you not follow this advice.

1 - 100 Queens £5.42

Any cancelled Queen orders will incur a £5 per Queen restocking / admin fee. As Queen's are perishable items it is not good for them to be kept longer than required as a result of a cancellation, these are living creatures.

We accept the following payment options – Credit / Debit Card (via Trust Payments), Paypal, Instant Bank Transfer and Cheque.

Imported from Greece / Italy from the best breeders in Europe

About the Buckfast Breed

The Buckfast bee is a cross of many species of bees into a stable race developed by "Brother Adam", (born Karl Kehrle on 3 August 1898 in Germany), who was in charge of beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey, Devon.

In the early 20th century bee populations were being decimated by Isle of Wight disease. This condition, later called "acarine" disease, after the acarine parasitic mite that invaded the bees' tracheal tubes and shortened their lives, was killing off thousands of colonies in the British Isles in the early part of the 20th century.

In 1916, Brother Adam discovered a feral colony which was a hybrid between A.m. ligurica (North Italian) and A.m. mellifera (English). Brother Adam collected the bees and from this began to develop what would come to be known as the Buckfast bee.

The Buckfast bee is popular among beekeepers and is available from bee breeders in Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, and more. Most of the Buckfast bee's qualities are very favourable. They are extremely gentle and highly productive. Brother Adam, in his book, Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey writes that in 1920 they obtained "an average of no less than 192 lbs surplus per colony and individual yields exceeding 3 cwt [approx. 336 lbs]." In the 1986 BBC-affiliated documentary, The Monk and the Honey Bee, more than 400 pounds of honey are reported to have been produced by a single Buckfast colony. According to Brother Adam, "The average annual honey yield over the last thirty years has been 30 kg (66 lb.) per colony. Thus we have a favourable balance compared with the average production in America or in Europe.

*Only shipped next day if instant payment such as bank transfer or PayPal is used. Cheques need to be cleared prior to post.

**Successful introduction is never guaranteed, unfortunately this is nature where nothing is guaranteed!

Return Policy

If the product you receive is not as described or low quality, the seller promises that you may return it before order completion (when you click ‘Confirm Order Received’ or exceed confirmation timeframe) and receive a full refund. The return shipping fee will be paid by you. Or, you can choose to keep the product and agree the refund amount directly with the seller.

Seller Service

On-time Delivery

If you do not receive your purchase within 60 days, you can ask for a full refund before order completion (when you click ‘Confirm Order Received’ or exceed confirmation timeframe). Please be aware that live bees are exempt from this as they are produced to order and we are at the will of nature.