Queen Bee Shipping Information

I exclusively use the United States Postal Service (U.S.P.S.) for shipping queen bees and all my products due to their lack of rural or fuel surcharges, which can be an issue with U.P.S. However, please keep in mind that as per USPS queen bee shipping regulations, these live bees cannot be insured, as outlined in postal regulation 609 sec 4.3 k. If the queen bees arrive dead or damaged within the allowed shipping times, they unfortunately will not cover the costs of replacement or shipping (601.9.0.37). According to live bee shipping guidelines, including 114.3.1, 414.3.0, and 604.9.2.4, queen bees and all live animals are exempt from the Express Mail guarantee of next-day or two-day delivery, which is essential for the protection of these live animals during shipping.

For queen bee orders, you're allowed a maximum of three queen bees in any variety or combination. Be sure to choose the EXPRESS MAIL option when selecting your shipping method. If you're ordering just one queen bee, select the 'QUEEN BEE SHIPPING OPTION', which is also the EXPRESS MAIL OPTION. It is critical to avoid using Priority or Ground shipping; these services can take 3 to 5 days for Priority Mail and up to 7 to 10 days via Ground Mail, which can lead to many queen bees arriving dead due to prolonged shipping times. They are shipped with attendants in a standard 3-hole queen cage on Mondays or Tuesdays to reduce the risk of being held up over a weekend in a shipping center. Every order includes a tracking number, and you will receive an email or photo text notification with your shipping and tracking information. Once your order is shipped, it is, unfortunately, out of my control, and I recommend reaching out to your local Post Office for any inquiries about shipping irregularities.

I prefer not to use U.P.S. (United Parcel Service) for shipping any live queen bees, as they have repeatedly refused to honor claims for late, lost, or damaged orders—even in cases where shipments arrived dead after delays, or when a significant honey order was dropped en route over 1000 miles away and damaged by the delivery personnel. Their usual excuse has been 'Bad Packaging.' I cannot shoulder the losses from shipping company errors, especially when they attempt to shift the blame onto me for their own negligence.

All items will be shipped from Forest, Ohio, USA. I appreciate your business and look forward to serving you for many years!