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2026 Russian Queen mated, marked, and in JZBZ Cages with a candy plug. (Pick Up at Store Only) in Colorado Springs. We do NOT ship queens. Arriving Mid April unless otherwise specified. ETA: April 15, 2026.
TO PURCHASE A QUEEN FOLLOW THESE EXACT INSTRUCTIONS: ADD THE DESIRED NUMBER OF QUEENS TO YOUR CART. PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. SELECT "PICKUP IN-STORE". INDICATE THE DATE AND TIME (within our business hours) TO PICKUP YOUR QUEEN. ORDERS FOR NEXT DAY PICKUP MUST BE PLACED BEFORE 5 PM THE DAY PRIOR. WE ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS.
If you did not select "PICKUP IN STORE" when checking out, you will have to call the store and let us know when you are coming to get your queen so we know when to bring the queen to the store...otherwise, we may not have her there for you when you come. 719-375-5094
PLEASE MAKE SURE WE HAVE A GOOD EMAIL AND PHONE NUMBER FOR YOU.
ALL QUEENS MUST BE PICKED UP WITHIN TWO BUSINESS DAYS AFTER ORDER.
All orders are FINAL. There will be a $30 re-stocking fee on unwanted queens that have not left the store. There are NO REFUNDS on queens that have left the store. NO EXCEPTIONS.
We cannot bank queens for you. We cannot guarantee the quality of any queens that we hold for you. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFULLY ABLE TO INTRODUCE A QUEEN INTO ANY HIVE; SEE "NOTICE" AND "PREPARING YOUR HIVE TO ACCEPT A QUEEN" BELOW. You need to pick up your queen no later than TWO BUSINESS DAYS after your purchase and/or notification call.
We do not "reserve" queens. Please time your purchase and pickup in a time frame that will work for you.
NOTICE: You cannot install a queen by herself into an empty hive or she will die. You must have 10,000 worker bees in order for her to survive. These cages have a CANDY PLUG...your queen will be released by the workers within 3 to 5 days after hanging her for acceptance. Unsure how to hang a queen for acceptance? Try one of our Queen Cage Holders. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR QUEEN IS REJECTED OR DIES AFTER YOU LEAVE THE STORE WITH HER. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR QUEEN FLIES OFF WHEN YOU GO TO RELEASE HER FROM THE CAGE IF SHE HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN RELEASED BY THE WORKER BEES.
Russian honey bees were imported to the United States by the USDA in the late 1990s from the Primorsky region of far eastern Russia. What makes them special is their natural resistance to Varroa mites, which are one of the most devastating parasites affecting honey bee colonies worldwide.
Having coexisted with Varroa mites for over 150 years — far longer than any Western honey bee population — Russian bees evolved behavioral defenses including aggressive grooming and hygienic removal of mite-infested brood. They also show resistance to tracheal mites.
Russian bees tend to be frugal with resources, maintaining smaller colonies during dearth periods and ramping up quickly when nectar flows begin. They can be slightly more defensive than Italians and have a stronger swarming tendency, which requires more vigilant management. Despite these challenges, their mite resistance makes them increasingly popular among beekeepers.
Russian traits:
NOTICE: You cannot install a queen by herself into an empty hive or she will die. You must have some worker bees in order for her to survive.
Preparing Your Hive to Accept Your Queen: In order for a hive to accept a new queen, you must make sure that your hive is queen-less. Queenless means that there isn't a virgin queen in there (which happens after a hive swarms). A hive "in transition" after it has swarmed will need about three weeks for a virgin queen to become mated and begin to lay eggs. Many times, a hive will recognize a queen cell as their queen or a laying worker as their queen and reject a new queen that you introduce. A hive may also be queen-less if the queen, for some reason has become old or injured and has died. Before introducing a new queen, make sure you have removed any virgin queens, laying worker, or queen cells and give them 24 to 48 hours to realize they are queen-less. Hives with hot or Africanized genetics are typically harder to re-queen...try smoking the hive a bit to get rid of old pheromone and use a re-queening frame. If you have a frame of open/capped brood, hang her on THAT frame. This will help her to be more readily accepted.