OHB has been raising queens for more than 50 years in Northern California, where the low humidity; warm, gravelly soil; and rich, natural food supply create optimal conditions. Shielded from the wind by trees and surrounded by thousands of acres of blooming clover, mustard, and other nectar-producing plants, our mating yards give our queens a strong start in life.
One of the best ways to be successful at beekeeping is to re-queen your colonies every year. Learn how to look for, and replace, a Queen.
Watch VideoA single queen can produce up to 3,000 eggs a day, 90 percent of which become bees.
Weather permitting, we ship queens from California from spring to fall, and from Hawaii year-round.
Yes! We produce honey ourselves, so we breed our bees for top-notch honey production.
The queen will mate as many as 30 times with 15–20 drones, which promotes genetic diversity and hybrid vigor.
In California, our shipments are done exclusively through UPS and guaranteed overnight. Our Hawaii shipments are 2-day and done through USPS or UPS (transit times vary).
In general, queens are good for one or two years, and first-year queens are the best. One of the best ways to be successful at beekeeping is to re-queen your colonies every year.
Careful introduction of the queen to the hive is crucial. Detailed instructions for introducing the queen can be found here.
