Current availability: All new orders will be placed on a wait list for summer 2025. We have a lot of people waiting already and do not yet know how our hive stocks have fared over winter. If you order now it is likely you will receive your hive in February. Place your order here to be added to the wait list and we will be in touch when a hive is ready for you.
We cannot accept part-payments.
Gift certificates available after purchase, please email us.
Want to keep your own stingless bees? You can start by finding your own nest in need of rescue and transferring it to a box, or pleading with a friend to share theirs with you. Or you can take an easy path and buy your first hive.
Pricing
We sell Honey OATH hives stocked with a strong nucleus of bees for $600 each. This price includes a complimentary metal roof. Our hives have a clear brood excluder that is taped over, confining the bees to the bottom two boxes to allow for wonderful temporary viewing opportunities. A closure is included with your stocked hive to keep the bees in. We sell two bee species, see details below.
Current availability: All new orders will be placed on a wait list for summer 2025. We have a lot of people waiting already and do not yet know how our hive stocks have fared over winter. If you order now it is likely you will receive your hive in February. Please note - these wait times are approximate only and are influenced by rain, cool temperatures, our capacity to go beekeeping and the individual colonies progress. If your hive is to be couriered to you, any restrictions or holidays that may cause courier delays will be considered at the time your hive is ready. We will keep you in the loop but please be patient - we only want to provide strong and busy hives and are at the mercy of the bees themselves. We very much appreciate your support, and promise it will be worth the wait!
Place your order here to be added to the wait list and we will be in touch when a hive is ready for you.
It is important that we know where the hive is destined for - please contact us if the bees are destined for somewhere different to what you enter during check out.
We cannot accept part-payments.
Gift certificates available after purchase, please email us.
Want to keep your own stingless bees? You can start by finding your own nest in need of rescue and transferring it to a box, or pleading with a friend to share theirs with you. Or you can take an easy path and buy your first hive.
Pricing
We sell Honey OATH hives stocked with a strong nucleus of bees for $600 each. This price includes a complimentary metal roof. Our hives have a clear brood excluder that is taped over, confining the bees to the bottom two boxes to allow for wonderful temporary viewing opportunities. A closure is included with your stocked hive to keep the bees in. We sell two bee species, see details below.
For placing an order to purchase a stocked hive please read. For local pickup, we usually have hives available (unless there is a wait list time listed, see above). When mailing hives, we charge a postage and handling fee of $50 for QLD and $100 for NSW. If you are needing your hive couriered, there may be a slightly longer wait period. Various payment options are available. If we do have a wait list please proceed with ordering as usual and we will contact you closer to when the hive is ready to arrange a date to collect/send. We cannot accept part-payments or deposits.
Please note - we do not send our bees north of Mackay as we wish to avoid genetic pollution between two distinct populations of hockingsi bees
In preparing for the arrival of your recently purchased hive, or while considering whether to buy a hive, there are a few important factors to consider. These include:
Our GUARANTEE
We guarantee the survival of hives for one year as long as they are treated properly. You must follow the advice given by us in terms of positioning and moving your hive, and take reasonable steps to ensure their survival. If your hive dies under these conditions, we will replace it, free of charge, upon return of the original dead hive box. Note that we cannot guarantee a hive that experiences temperatures of greater than 42°C, less than 0°C, receives direct sun after 10 am in summer, is kept outside their natural geographical range, is opened, is split, or has honey extracted. Fire and flood damage excluded.
Our BOXES
See the product page for an in-depth description of our honey OATH hives, https://shop.sugarbag.net/products/honey-oath-design. We only sell pine honey OATH hives stocked with bees. A closure is included with your stocked hive purchase as this is how we keep the bees inside, ready for you to release at home.
Which species?
We sell two Australian native social stingless bee species - Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi. These species have different natural ranges dependent on temperature and we send our hives to areas with warm climates between Nowra, NSW and Mackay, QLD.
Tetragonula carbonaria naturally occurs in coastal areas between Nowra NSW and Bundaberg Qld. This is the most cold tolerant species and can survive in many parts of NSW, including all coastal areas from Nowra north. However as you move inland from the coast and the moderating influence of the ocean, the climate becomes less favourable. This is especially true where you gain altitude. So Canberra and Katoomba are definitely not suitable. Areas where you can grow bananas perennially and they bear fruit, may also be suitable to keep carbonaria. If you get heavy frosts, it may not be suitable. If just an occasional frost, then it could be OK. Remember, they are really a subtropical species. In cooler areas hives need to be carefully sited and managed. Harvesting honey from hives in these areas may not be possible. These bees will not fly below 18°C and they need their stored food to survive through winter. It also may never be possible to propagate your hive in these areas. Certainly people do divide hives and extract honey in Sydney, but usually close to the coast where the extremes of low and high temperature are moderated. If purchasing a hive for location is such areas, we would not be able to offer our usual guarantee if they succumbed to cold in the winter.
We also have hives of Tetragonula hockingsi available for sale. This species is well suited to warm suburban areas of Queensland, particularly from Brisbane surrounds and northwards.
We will allocate you the most appropriate species for your area. If you have a species preference (some areas of QLD only) please EMAIL US after placing your order.
We MUST know what suburb the hive is destined for. If the destination is different to the shipping/billing address you enter during check out, please email us with details of where they will be headed to.
If you are unsure that Tetragonula species is suitable for your area, please email us first.
We do not sell bees separate to the hive box.
You will receive an email after your purchase with some important information about your hive - please check your spam or junk folder!