Order Bumblebee Hives

 

Garden Hive $85

Medium Hive $132.83

Standard Hive $159.39

Turbo Hive $169.51

 

 

Click here to find out more about bumblebees.

Our bumblebee hives are 100% self-contained, with no need for any on-going maintenance. We provide the bumblebees with sufficient sugar solution to last the life of the hive, which is pre-packaged at the base of the hive box. Hives are delivered to your door by courier service; you can then position them where necessary, without anybody traipsing around your property with potential contaminants. All the bumblebees need is pollen to collect, and in doing so, to pollinating your flowers!

The hive is the size of approximately 5 standard reams of A4 paper placed on top of each other. The majority of the hive is constructed out of biodegradable recycled cardboard, so if you are placing it outside, it is essential to situate the hive in a weather proofed enclosure with an overlapping roof to keep driving rain off. When placing the hive, it is important to note that the bumblebees will have become agitated from having their home shaken. Please leave the hive in its final position for around 1 hour before opening. In glass or plastic houses, it is best to open the hive when the vents are closed to prevent bumblebees from getting lost outside.

Upon opening, the bumblebees will complete a short orientation flight to determine where they are and how to get back to their hive. Be careful not to stand too close to the hive while this is happening as you may affect the bumblebee’s sense of orientation.  If placing 3 or more hives together, be sure to face hives in different directions to prevent the bumblebees from becoming disorientated and returning to the wrong hive.

For orders of standard or turbo hives, it is appreciated if you place your order at least 4 weeks ahead of time. It takes some time to rear the hives up to the required strength and we need notice to make sure your needs are met. Hives do not have a long shelf-life, and must be produced to demand.

Buy with confidence! We guarantee that our hives will provide effective pollination for a minimum of 4 weeks, but if the conditions are right they may pollinate for 8 weeks or more! As these are living, breathing animals, it is not possible to give a definitive period of pollination, and you should consider checking on the activity of the hive (watching bees come and go) to ensure that it is still working effectively. Chemical pesticides can be harmful to bumblebees, so please be aware of this when making spray decisions. While not all chemicals will kill the bees out right, some can have sub-lethal impacts that effect the duration and quality of pollination services. Hives can be closed to minimise chemical impacts, and wherever possible, use biological control agents and/or soft chemicals to ensure your bumblebees can do their job.