Queen Cells for Sale

We produce queen cells throughout the beekeeping season as part of our own professional queen-rearing and bee-breeding programme here in Northumberland.

Our queen cells are raised from selected breeding stock used within our own bee farming operation, where we rear queens for our mating programme, colony increase and replacement of queens across our own colonies.

Queen Cell Availability for 2027

We will not be taking pre-orders for queen cells for the 2027 season.

For 2027, our own queen-rearing, mating and colony-increase requirements will take priority. This means we will not commit queen cells for sale months in advance.

Instead, surplus queen cells will be released for sale during the season as and when they become available.

Queen rearing is dependent upon colony development, weather and our own requirements, so we cannot guarantee how many surplus queen cells will be available or exactly when they will be released.

When queen cells are available to purchase, stock will be shown live on this product page.

We are unable to reserve queen cells in advance.

Queen Cells From Our Own Breeding Programme

The queen cells offered for sale are produced as part of the same queen-rearing programme used to produce queens for our own commercial bee farming operation.

Our breeding programme is centred around our Northumberland Buckfast bees, with selection focused on characteristics important to us as professional bee farmers, including good temperament, productivity, colony strength and suitability for British conditions.

Queen cells are living biological material and individual queens and resulting colonies will naturally vary. Descriptions of our breeding lines and selected characteristics represent the traits we select for within our breeding programme rather than a guarantee that every individual queen will express every characteristic to the same degree.

Buying Queen Cells

Queen cells require careful handling and are considerably more time-sensitive than established mated queens.

Customers purchasing queen cells should have suitable colonies or mating nucs prepared in advance and understand the requirements for introducing and handling ripe queen cells.

Successful emergence, mating and subsequent laying are influenced by many factors outside our control, including handling, colony conditions, weather, drone availability and mating conditions.

Please read our Terms & Conditions for Purchases of Bees & Queens before ordering.

Looking for a Mated Queen?

If you require a queen with planned seasonal availability, our principal customer queen offering for 2027 is our Northumberland Buckfast Mated Queen.

Our mated queens are reared here in Northumberland, naturally mated and assessed for laying before dispatch.

View Northumberland Buckfast Mated Queens →