{"product_id":"local-bred-mated-queen","title":"Local Mated Queen","description":"\u003cp\u003eBritish reared mated locally adapted queens marked with a white paint dot on her thorax for 2026. Our queens are supplied in a queen introduction cage with attendants and are not clipped. Apologies but we do not provide this service. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur queens are reared in one of our dedicated woodland mating apiaries in Sussex using mating nucs. We flood the area with selected drone mother colonies to ensure plentiful supply of drones in the surrounding area and our queens are open mated. We only graft from the best of our local queens which have been hand picked and ear marked from the previous season’s colonies. One of our breeder queens is going into her 5th year now and her daughters are much favoured by ourselves. It’ll be a sad day when we lose her. In 2024 we tested our locally adapted breeder queens for hygienic behaviour using the pin prick method. All scored over 92% within 24 hours with two scoring 100%. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach season we introduce new breeding stock into our queen rearing operation to ensure the genetic pool of our colonies is varied. We usually graft from between 6 to 8 queen mothers each year. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQueens are kept in the mating nucs until they produce sealed brood. Only at that stage is their laying pattern assessed and if we are happy with it they are then selected for dispatch. We remove the queens from the mating nuc only on the day they are dispatched so the queens arrive to you as fresh as they can be. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailability\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQueens should be available from end of May to September but as they home reared by us we are very much dependent on the season each year so please be aware availability may vary. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eQueen\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eintroduction\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note: You cannot start a colony with a queen only, you need a nucleus or full colony of bees.   Queens can be introduced into a queenless colony or to replace an ageing, failing or aggressive queen. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroducing a queen into a colony is never 100% successful, we are not responsible if your queen is not accepted and is killed or goes 'missing' during the introduction stage. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf a queen is found to be dead on arrival, it will only be replaced if we are contacted on the day of delivery. We may require the queen to be returned to us still in her sealed cage or a video or photograph to be emailed to us. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003eDelivery\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQueens will be dispatched most likely twice a week by Royal Mail Tracked 24. They will require a signature on arrival so please only order if there is someone present to sign for the delivery. Also of importance is to ensure your address is correct with no details missing as we can not be held responsible for queens delivered to incorrect addresses. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour queen will be delivered on the day after the selected dispatch date and will arrive in a ventilated cardboard box marked ‘ Live Bees’. You will receive an email with tracking details once your queen(s) has been dispatched\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"R \u0026 R Bee Company","offers":[{"title":"Dispatch 19th Aug for delivery 20th Aug","offer_id":56869485478220,"sku":"lmqueen","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Dispatch 21st Aug for delivery 22nd Aug","offer_id":56869485510988,"sku":"lmqueen","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Dispatch 26th Aug for delivery 27th Aug","offer_id":56869485347148,"sku":"lmqueen","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Dispatch 16th Sept for delivery 17th Sept","offer_id":56869485379916,"sku":"lmqueen","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Dispatch 23rd for delivery 24th Sept","offer_id":56869485445452,"sku":"lmqueen","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0835\/2674\/6444\/files\/Screenshot2024-08-10101952.png?v=1726930893","url":"https:\/\/www.rrbeecompany.co.uk\/products\/local-bred-mated-queen","provider":"R \u0026 R Bee Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}