Southern Italian Package Bees

Our Italian honey bee package offers around 3 lbs of bees along with a laying, open-air mated Italian queen bee.

The Italian Bee Advantage

Italian honey bees bring distinct qualities to the table, making a significant contribution to any hive. They are recognized for the following:

• High productivity and honey production
• Extremely prolific with a strong focus on brood-raising
• Among the gentlest and most docile bee subspecies
• Efficient in comb building
• Quick to enter supers
• Excellent foragers
• Lower swarm tendencies than other bee subspecies
• Strong cleaning behavior

All of these traits make Italian bees particularly suitable for areas with a consistent nectar flow and favorable summer weather.

See our installation instructions to guide you in settling your Italian honey bees smoothly into their new hive.

Order and Shipping Details

Our Italian bee packages are available while supplies last. Shipping is included in the price. For USPS shipping, packages will require pickup at your local post office.

We’ll contact you with a shipment date and provide tracking information once the bees are shipped. Cancellations are not accepted within 14 days of the bees’ estimated ship date.

Orders are prepaid and subject to a $10 change or cancellation fee once the prepayment has been processed.

By purchasing, you’re agreeing to our Bee Policy.

Bee Insurance

There is always a risk when shipping live animals, so Mann Lake includes insurance with the purchase of every shipped package. Any package with 1 ½” or more of dead bees spread evenly on the bottom of the package is eligible for a refund or replacement. To file a claim, simply submit a photo of the shipping label and the package showing more than 1 ½” of dead bees on the bottom of the package when spread evenly across the bottom via our website Package Bee Help. We make every effort to ship replacements, if available, on the earliest ship date possible. If we are unable to accommodate a replacement, a refund will be issued within 7-10 business days of submission.

Shipping Information

The ship date selected indicates the day your packages are processed for shipping. You will receive tracking information via email. Tracking may not show movement until Monday and your bees will arrive at your local post office for pickup by mid-week.

USPS does not handle live bees the same way as regular parcels. Tracking information can be tricky with bees.

• Orders typically reach you ahead of the USPS estimated delivery date indicated in the tracking details.
• Tracking information might not always reflect real-time updates, be fully comprehensive, or entirely precise. There's no need to worry if it seems like your package isn't moving forward.
• Tracking information is supplied by USPS. While we strive to assist, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of tracking statuses and do not have access to any tracking details beyond what is available on USPS.com.