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Not sure which queen to buy? Here's a simple, no-nonsense guide to the queens we sell, what each one is good at, and how to pick the right one for your hive.
Get the queen right and everything gets easier. Get her wrong and you'll spend the season fighting problems. She sets the temperament of the whole colony, how much honey you get, and how well the bees handle disease.
So the job is simple. Buy a queen that suits your setup, and don't waste money getting it wrong. Every queen we sell is calm, proven, and bred to thrive in UK conditions. The differences come down to where the genetics come from and what you want out of your bees.
Let's clear this one up first, because we get asked all the time. We don't sell AMM (Apis mellifera mellifera). You might know it as the native dark bee, the British black bee, or the local black bee.
We tried working with AMM stock for about four years and couldn't consistently control the temperament. Laurence got stung so many times he had to stop keeping them. If we can't reliably promise you calm bees, we won't sell them to beginners, bee farmers, or anyone who needs manageable colonies. We'd rather be honest than sell you something that makes your beekeeping miserable.
Here's the useful part. A lot of people come to us wanting that dark, native look, then compare the options properly and go for our Obsidian line instead. More on that below.
Every queen we sell is an F1 Buckfast mated queen, bred for calm temperament, strong honey production, and natural disease resistance. Here's what makes each line different.
Our UK mated queens are locally adapted and reared right here at home. They're Buckfast hybrids that have proven themselves in real conditions, from the top of Scotland down to the bottom of Cornwall. If you want a dependable queen designed for UK beekeeping, with bees you'll actually enjoy working, this is where a lot of people start. For most beekeepers it's the simplest, safest choice, and customers come back for them year after year. One thing to know. UK mated queens are only available for a short window each year, so keep an eye out.