Italian
Queen
Bees
Italian queen bees from our Adelaide Hills apiaries. Gentle, proven queens bred for temperament and productivity, mated, marked, and raised only in healthy hives.
PREORDER NOW
Mated Italian Queens
Shipping to SA, VIC, NSW & QLD only, due to biosecurity regulations. Australia Post Express Post $19.95. Collection from Mount Barker, SA also available.
Reasons to Requeen
Carefully bred and mated Italian queens, raised only in healthy hives. Gentle, proven, and built for productivity.
- Calm A Defensive Colony A new queen brings gentler genetics, settling an aggressive or hot hive.
- Replace An Aging Queen Laying drops off after her first year or two. A fresh queen restores egg production.
- Fix A Spotty Brood Pattern Patchy, pepper-box brood signals a failing queen. A new queen restores a solid, even brood pattern.
- Build Up A Weak Colony A queen not laying enough won’t build numbers for the honey flow or winter.
Our Queen Breeding Program
1000 Hives is expanding its queen breeding program, with Italian queen bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) reared in our South Australian apiaries. Our queens are open-mated and selected for a gentle, workable temperament, strong laying patterns and excellent foraging.
Every queen is mated and checked for laying before she leaves the apiary, with colour-marking available so you can spot her easily on the comb. We raise queens only in healthy, disease-screened hives, so you receive a strong, prolific layer ready to head up your colony and drive rapid brood build-up.
Collect from Mount Barker, SA, or have your queens sent Express with Australia Post.
Buying 1000 Hives Queen Bees
What queens do you sell?
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We sell naturally mated Italian queen bees, bred from carefully selected stock for gentle temperament, strong brood patterns, productivity, and healthy colony performance. All of our queens are naturally mated in South Australia using carefully selected breeding stock.
Are your queens inspected before sale?
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Yes. Every queen is checked to ensure she is laying a healthy, consistent brood pattern before being offered for sale.
How do I introduce my new queen?
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For the best chance of acceptance, remove the old queen, check for emergency queen cells, and introduce the new queen using a slow-release cage. Always follow the introduction instructions provided.
Do you offer local collection?
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Yes. Collection is available by prior arrangement from Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills. You will be contacted when your queens are ready and we will sort out a time that suits.
When can I order queen bees for Spring 2026?
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Pre-orders for the 2026 season are open now. For orders placed now, approximate dispatch is Monday 2 November 2026. Grafting starts the next weekend after ordering, with approximately 12 days until the queen emerges. We allow approximately five weeks from grafting to the final weekend mating and laying check. Dispatch is the following Monday once mating and laying are confirmed. Weather and mating progress may delay dispatch. Reserve your queens today and we will contact you the moment they are mated, marked and ready to collect or ship.
Do you provide support after purchase?
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Yes. We are happy to answer questions and provide advice on introducing your new queen into your colony.
Question we have not answered here?
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