Return Policy

Cancellation, Refund, Return & Satisfaction Policy

Stuff Happens

We understand that plans can change. We also understand that honey bees are live animals, and unexpected things can happen with weather, travel, equipment, timing, and colony conditions.

Our goal is for our customers to be happy, prepared, and successful in their beekeeping journey. We do our best to provide healthy bees, quality supplies, practical information, and honest support. We are also willing to work with customers when a real issue comes up, within reason and within a reasonable time frame.

Our Satisfaction Promise

We are proud of our bees and our beekeeping team, and we stand behind the bees we sell.

If there is a legitimate issue with a colony at pickup or shortly after pickup, we want to know right away so we can review the situation and work toward a fair solution. Depending on the situation, that may include advice, correction, exchange, replacement, refund, or another reasonable remedy.

However, because honey bees are livestock, customers must report concerns promptly. A problem reported within the first 72 hours gives us the best opportunity to understand what happened and determine whether the issue may have existed at pickup.

Waiting longer than a few days to report a problem is not considered reasonable with live bees, because many things can affect a colony after it leaves our property, including heat, cold, transportation, pesticide exposure, improper installation, queen loss, lack of feeding, robbing, pests, disease pressure, mites, and other environmental or management factors.

Please understand that waiting more than one week to report a live-bee issue is not considered “right away.”

Live Bee Pickup Inspection

We double-check hives and nucs before they are labeled ready for pickup. We have an experienced crew and rarely have issues, but bees are live animals and conditions can change. We are also human and understand that mistakes can happen.

For that reason, customers are welcome to inspect their bees before leaving our property.

If requested, we can open the hive or nuc with you and review the colony before you leave. If you want us to look for and show the queen, please let us know at pickup. Please understand that hives and nucs are normally closed the night before pickup so the bees are contained and ready for transport. Opening colonies before transport may cause some bees to fly and not return to the box before you leave.

Many returning customers choose to waive the pickup inspection because they are confident in our bees and know that we stand behind what we sell.

For customers traveling a long distance, especially more than an hour away, we recommend checking everything before leaving our property.

Reporting a Problem With Live Bees

If you believe there is a problem with your bees, please contact us as soon as possible.

For live bees, we ask that concerns be reported within 72 hours of pickup. This allows us to review the issue while the colony condition is still reasonably connected to the pickup event.

If something appears wrong after the first 72 hours, please still contact us. We will review the situation and try to help where reasonable. However, the longer the bees have been away from our care, the harder it becomes to determine what caused the issue.

Live-bee concerns reported more than one week after pickup are generally considered outside the pickup-condition review period unless there are unusual circumstances.

We cannot be responsible for colony losses, absconding, queen loss, pest damage, pesticide exposure, overheating, starvation, mite-related decline, improper installation, neglect, or other issues that occur after the bees leave our possession and are outside our control.

Customer Responsibility After Pickup

Honey bees require ongoing care and management. Once bees leave our property, the customer is responsible for proper transportation, placement, installation, feeding if needed, inspection, mite monitoring, mite treatment, pest management, and general colony care.

Small hive beetles, wax moths, and other pests can move into weak or failing colonies very quickly. These pests are often symptoms of a colony that has become weak, stressed, queenless, diseased, or unable to defend itself. Regular inspections and proper management are important parts of successful beekeeping.

Cancellation of Orders

Because we make commitments in advance to fill live-bee orders, including reserving bees, equipment, queens, labor, and pickup scheduling, cancellations must be requested in writing by email.

Cancellations requested within seven days of placing the order may be eligible for a refund.

Cancellation requests made after seven days may be subject to a 10% processing fee and will be handled as time permits.

As pickup dates approach, live-bee cancellations may be limited or unavailable because bees, queens, equipment, and labor have already been committed to the order.

Returns, Exchanges & Refunds for Supplies and Gear

If there is a problem with equipment, supplies, or protective gear, please contact us within seven days of receiving the item.

We will review the issue and, when appropriate, arrange an exchange, replacement, refund, or other reasonable correction.

Items must be unused, clean, and in returnable condition unless the issue is due to a product defect.

Refund requests after seven days may be subject to a 10% restocking fee.

Final Note

We want our customers to order with confidence. We stand behind our bees and our work, but live bees are livestock and must be handled, installed, and managed properly after pickup.

If there is a real problem, contact us right away. The sooner we know, the better chance we have to evaluate the situation and help find a fair solution.