Carniolan Queen: Select A Date - £5 Deposit

A £5 deposit to be paid today to secure your Queen bee from us, then on the 1st of your chosen month, you will be sent an invoice for the remaining amount - final payment of £43.50 which includes delivery to all mainland UK addresses.

BEES-R-US presents: The Carniolan Honey Bee (Carnica)

Buy with confidence from BEES-R-US, backed by our 24 years of experience.

The Carniolan (Carnica) honey bee is one of the world's most popular subspecies, second only to the Italian bee. Having naturally adapted to the harsh climates of the Kočevje region of Slovenia, the Austrian Alps, and the northern Balkans, this subspecies is renowned for its hardiness and efficiency—making it an ideal choice for the varied UK climate.

Often affectionately referred to as “Carnies” by beekeepers, these dark bees may be slightly smaller than other races, but they are masters of foraging, colony management, and overwintering.

Key Characteristics & UK Beekeeping Benefits:

The following traits make the Carniolan bee an outstanding choice for both new and experienced UK beekeepers:

Temperament & Handling

• Exceptionally Gentle: Considered highly docile and non-aggressive, making hive inspections easy and safe to perform using just a water spray.
• Suitable for Populated Areas: Their calm nature means they can often be kept in suburban or more populated settings.
• Superior Orientation: They possess an excellent sense of direction, which results in less drifting of bees between adjacent hives. Drifting and robbing are one of the leading causes of colony collapse in mid-season.

Hardiness & Efficiency

• Overwintering Excellence: Carniolans rank among the very best for successfully overwintering, protecting your colony investment through the cold months. These colonies will survive the winter on lower stores than most other breeds.
• Built for UK Weather: Due to their Alpine origins, they are more likely to forage and bring in vital stores on colder, wetter days than many other types of bees. We see Carniolans flying on days when other colonies are reluctant to fly.
• Worker Longevity: Worker bees live up to 12% longer than those of other common breeds, increasing the efficiency of the colony.
• Excellent Thrift: They are highly efficient at conserving honey stores, ensuring maximum reserves for winter.

Hive Management

• Fast Spring Build-up: Display a quick rhythm of brood production in the spring, allowing the colony to rapidly build strength for the main flow.
• Resource Conservation: Brood-rearing is quickly reduced when local forage decreases, saving critical resources.
• Low Propolis Use: They use minimal propolis, keeping your frames and hive tools cleaner and making inspections faster and easier. In our hive, we find less propolis in the Carniolan colonies than in other hives.
• The Carniolan subspecies was integrated into Brother Adam's selective breeding programme, contributing foundational genetic material to the development of the Buckfast Bee strain, which was engineered for improved resilience within the evolving United Kingdom environment.

Shipping & Guarantee:
Queens are shipped using Royal Mail, Tracked 24 secure delivery for £8.50. On the rare occasion that your Queen is dead upon arrival, please get in touch with us within 2 hours of receiving her. To help us understand the situation, we’ll ask for a clear photo or video of the queen still in her travel cage, along with your order number. Once we have these details, our team will work closely with you to provide support and find the best way forward. Your bees’ wellbeing is important to us, and we’re here to help.

By introducing a Carniolan queen to your hive, you’re investing in a resilient, well-tempered colony with a long-standing reputation for reliability and performance.