Is there ANY chance I can get package bees this year now?

[Rosalind]

Just got an email from the local apiary. I had ordered package bees from them in January. Got the PayPal confirmation and everything. Called last week to see if everything was on schedule, as they had a notice on their website that they were running late on some things, please call and check before you show up. They said, check back closer to the pickup date. I sent an email yesterday, only to get a reply today saying, "you're not on the list...sorry..."

OK, I spent quite a bit of money on hive, prepping the orchard, planting extra bee food sources, books, courses, etc. I really REALLY wish that they would have sent an order confirmation after they got my PayPal, which was also for a non-trivial amount of money. Instead, they put up a notice on their website not to expect an order confirmation because they were so busy and whatnot. If I had gotten some sort of confirmation/non-confirmation/"whoops website glitch" sort of thing, I could have sorted it out then and there, or gone to a different apiary, or run around pollinating trees by hand. Now, what with the early warm weather, half of my trees have already blossomed and done (and most of the blossoms fell off unpollinated). So it looks like I will not only NOT be getting bees, but not be getting most of my expected orchard & garden yield.

Everywhere I look online, package bees are sold out for the season. Only place I found online that seems to have any is Weaver's, are they any good?

Same thing happened to me last year with turkeys--small supplier had problems maintaining the inventory and orders, was left scrambling at the last minute. A very kind gentleman at BYC directed me to Porter's, who still had turkeys available. Am hoping for a similar miracle...

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

I have not been able to locate a source at all that will ship packaged bees. If anyone has a source, I would be quite a happy camper, and so would the bees. I have three acres that I keep organic and am surrounding by orchards and hayfields. I'm in Washington State.

TIA :bee

 

[Rosalind]

Dang. My friend suggested the local beek club, as her local club puts in orders with some Very Large Apiary and then they have it all delivered at once on a meeting day to save on shipping. My local beek club does not do that sort of thing. I agree w/ them that it's great to support local apiaries, important to avoid bringing in diseases from out-of-state bees, which is what I was trying to do, but that didn't work out so hot.

So far, the best I have been able to find is the following:
R Weaver in TX
Gardner's in GA
possibly Wilbanks in GA, but trying to find contact information for them is like pulling teeth. I don't think they are out of business because one of the "sold out" apiaries says they get their packages from Wilbanks.

Nittygritty: I know, right? I'm in bee heaven here! 2 acres of pesticide-free land, 30 fruit trees and a big veggie garden, lotsa wildflowers & clover in the lawn, backing onto 15 acres of preservation land complete with freshwater creek, property lines marked with flowering bushes (roses & lilacs in particular), lovely bee-friendly floral landscaping, house surrounded by mints and flowering herbs. The native bumble, blueberry & sweat bees are very happy, there's just not half enough of them. C'mon! Why does this have to be so dang difficult?

 

[journey11]

I'd be majorly disappointed too, Rosalind! January should have been plenty early enough for your order to go in. I have learned you can't be too early and you sure don't want to be late!

Would you be opposed to taking a swarm? You can usually put your name on the swarm list with your county ag extension or bee club. That might be your best hope for getting some bees this late in the spring. They'll be swarming here soon.

Or maybe you can locate someone who would be willing to sell you a started hive... Not really the best way to go, but still another option.

I am bummed out for you! Sounds like you had all your ducks in a row and this shouldn't have happened to you.

 

[lesa]

Oh, sorry for your disappointing experience... Are you sure none of the members of the bee keeping club sell nucs? Several of our members do it- and on quite a large scale. Let me ask around and see of any of them know anybody in the Mass. area. What about posting a wanted ad on craigslist? I just can't believe no one in your area is doing this... Good luck. I'll let you know if I hear anything.

 

[Rosalind]

lesa: I asked, and they said they have a policy of not running those sort of announcements in their newsletter because they don't want to get sucked into the whole mess of sales deals gone wrong, sort of thing. Which is understandable, I guess they have been burned with that in the past. Clearly at least one member is difficult in that way...

journey: I would take a swarm, sure! That's a good idea.

I emailed a local Pick Your Own orchard and asked what they do for bees--I've bought honey from their farm stand before, figured they must know someone. They referred me to a local apiary that says they will probably have nucs or packages for late May! Also, if they don't, the orchard gave me contact info for another apiary that they use as a backup, and that one might be able to get me a nuc in June! At least that would get the veggie garden taken care of. I can't believe how fast the orchard got back to me! Suppose they have a vested interest in creating as many local bee wranglers as possible.

 

[journey11]

That's good news. Now that's some networking!

 

[lesa]

Perfect! Glad it is going to work out for you. You will love having bees. Keep us posted!

 

[4grandbabies]

If you notify paypal, is it possible they can get your money back, I think that would also be proof of sale?

 

[Rosalind]

If you notify paypal, is it possible they can get your money back, I think that would also be proof of sale?

Well, first I called and emailed the original apiary and left messages that said, since my order is lost, I would like a refund please. Heard nothing all day yesterday, other than an email from R Weaver's saying they could not ship here because of the weather.

OK. 10pm last night, still having heard nothing at all, sent a complaint to PayPal, not expecting any result for a few business days of course. Magically, the vendor managed to leap into action and sent me a lengthy email saying that yes, they would get a refund check in the mail early next week, with a looooong list of why they could not get their act together and keep all their orders straight. Um, excuse me, but this particular apiary is a small hobby business-type. They are managing a few dozen hives on their own property, and only sell honey at one farmer's market. The apiary I will be getting my new order from manages several hundred hives at orchards all over the state--and it's still just a small family business, yet that owner got back to me personally about ordering packages within 18 hours of my email.

I really hate it when businesses have a bunch of excuses why they can't do what they promise. I've worked for a number of small businesses, and DH runs one, and it's just the road straight to failure--your problem should not become your customer's problem. Jeez louise, I learned this when I was waiting tables in high school!