Bee Delivery Day for 3lb Packages & Individual Queens Is Scheduled for Saturday, April 26 from Noon to 2pm. (Subject to change)
Please be on time. And not early.

Note: Delivery Day for GW Nucs TBD

Our bee package pickup location will be at St. John's Armenian Church, 275 Olympia Way, SF. Note: This is the same church where we meet regularly, and we will once again be doing the delivery as a drive-thru.

What time and how will it work?
Delivery time is 12 Noon to 2pm. Don't come early. Please stay in your car.

We'll be set up for drive-thru delivery just like past years.  If you try to walk up, you will be asked to get back in your car and get in line. The process goes fast, so any wait time should be minimal. We will have folks directing traffic who can help, so thanks for listening to our volunteers. They'll be in bee suits, hard to miss.

What if I want to hang with my bee buddies?
For all you old timers who used to come and hang out and shoot the s#!t with other beekeepers: There may be a place to socialize, and it will be marked, but NOT in the delivery area. That’s already chaotic enough.

How do I actually get my bees or queens?
The confirmation of your order plus a registration for the Bee Delivery Day event included a QR code. Please print and bring the registration or show it to us on your phone; we'll be scanning the QR code to identify you and find your order, and you'll be asked to sign for the bees to reduce mixups.

Please note that orders are under the name of the person who made the purchase, so if someone else is picking up your bees, please make sure they have your name & registration. (You might also let us know the pickup person's name by emailing beepacks@sfbee.org beforehand.) 

What if I have questions on that day?
If you have beekeeping questions, stay in your car, let a volunteer know and you'll be directed toward a parking area where you can ask a knowledgeable beekeeper questions. The bee whisperer will be in.

What time was it all again?
Please plan on being there during the 12-2 window. And PLEASE, don't be too early. We pick up the bees early that day and build in time for traffic, but it’s not perfect. We are done by 2pm. If you are later than that, call 415.225.2594.
Note: If you do not show, or have not made arrangements in advance for us to hold your bees, your bees will be sold.

And where do I show my confirmation?
If your last name (or the last name of the person you're picking up bees for) begins with the letters A thru M, you'll drive up to the first table and show them your registration with QR code; N thru Z people go to table 2. Everything will be marked.

Stuff that's important:

When should the bees go into my hive box?
We strongly suggest that you install into your hives later the same day to minimize any harm to the bees. Most experienced beekeepers install them later in the afternoon, so foragers don't go too far and get lost finding their way back.

HERE’S A REALLY BIG, IMPORTANT THING. Seriously! When you go to install, make sure to check the queen first. If the queen is dead in the cage, do not install your package. Keep it sealed in a cool place, and call Marc J at 415.225.2594.

There will be a replacement queen for you with further instructions. The ONLY circumstance in which you will be given a replacement queen is if she is dead in the queen cage BEFORE you install. Otherwise, it voids the warranty. 

More IMPORTANT stuff:
Yes, we will have a baggie with rubber bands and marshmallows for you. If you don’t know what this means, ask someone, but it was part of both classes.

And yet even more IMPORTANT stuff:
With either bee packs or individual queens, remember to keep your queen safely caged for a few days when first putting her into the hive. The queens in the packages are raised regionally and the bees with her are from other sources, meaning they are not *that* queen's bees. As a result, she needs time to imprint them with her pheromones so they will love their new step-mom.

It's highly advised that you leave the queen in the queen cage for at least two days before putting the marshmallow in the end hole and giving the workers access and the queen her freedom. Hence the term “Marshmallow Monday.”  In past years (and especially last year) several beekeepers released the queens directly into the hive, with sad results. Voids the warranty, costs you another $40 for a queen and you'll have to do the walk of shame for your bees (kidding, humor).

Remember, you took the solemn pledge in class:
"I will not release my queen before its time"

 For people who ordered 2+ bee packs. If your hives are next to one another, orient the openings at 90 degrees to each other if possible, or keep the entrances closed for a day or so. As noted, the package workers are not daughters of the package queen or oriented to your hive's location. Significant drift to one box may deplete the population of a nearby box. 

Holy crap, that’s a lot.
Breathe and relax, grasshopper. All will be well in the bee universe soon. "There is no try, only do" as Bee Yoda says.

Marc, Tai and the Bee Pack Wranglers, SFBA. Bee the solution!

P.S. If something has happened and you need to sell one of your packages, email beepacks@sfbee.org and we'll see if we can find a buyer for you.