Sticky Cow Farm
Healthy Honey Bees
about
Proven Genetic Lines
Our breeder queens come from the top honey bee breeders from the US & Canada. Our breeders select for traits including gentleness, varroa resistance, & productivity, to name a few. In addition, we select our stocks based on their genetic background and diversity for the healthiest hives.
Good Nutrition
We ensure that our bees are always well fed by providing nutritional
supplements when natural forage is low.
hoNEY BEES THAT ARE STRESSED NUTRITIONALLY ARE less able to deal with the everyday challenges honey bees face. Nutrition is key to healthy& productive queens, workers, and hives.
Healthy Hives
At Sticky Cow Farm we take the health of our bees seriously. We maintain all of our colonies following up to date best management practices. Our colonies are inspected by the State Apiary inspector as required by the Florida department Of
Agriculture. We regularly monitor all of our colonies' Varroa mite loads and check for any signs of disease. We aim to keep our varroa mite counts under 1% at all times to provide the healthiest queens & colonies.
CAUCASIAN Bees
These once lost bees are now returning to U.S. beekeepers in limited numbers!
Our Caucasian honey bees are the ideal choice for beekeepers interested in adding genetic diversity to their apiary, a vital component of colony health. Our Caucasian stock originates from isolated old world Apis mellifera caucasica populations located in The Republic of Georgia. Our Caucasian queens are over 85% pure Caucasian (Apis mellifera caucasica). The purity of our Caucasian stock is maintained using instrumentally inseminated breeder queens produced from top performing colonies.
Caucasian honey bees are known for their very gentle disposition, good wintering ability, and fair honey production. One unique behavior of Caucasian bees is their tendency to coat the inside of their hive in propolis. This behavior is believed to be highly beneficial to the bees due to propolis’ antibacterial properties.
Add these rare bees to your apiary before they disappear!
GENTLE
Carniolan Bees
The second most popular honey bee in the United States!
Carniolan honey bees are gentle, productive, and frugal bees. They quickly build up their population in the spring for the honey flow, and wind down brood rearing going into the winter resulting in the bees consuming as little honey as needed. Our stock is built off of the highly respected New World Carniolan (NWC) Breeding Project started in 1982 by Sue Cobey. The New World Carniolan stock was recently infused with Old World Apis Mellifera Carnica genetics from Germany and Slovenia to refresh the stock’s genetics and increase vitality. We absolutely love the vibrance of these bees! Our Carniolans are a great way to add Old World genetics to your apiary.
GENTLE
Italian Bees
Looking for a gentle bee?
Our Italians are perfect for beginner and seasoned beekeepers alike due to their calm and gentle nature. Italian honey bees were first imported into the United States in 1860 and quickly won favor among beekeepers, becoming the most popular bee in the U.S. due to their gentle disposition. Italians are known for prolific brood rearing and excellent honey production.
These bees are ideal for southern climates with mild winters, like Florida. They begin rearing brood early in the spring and continue raising young late into the fall. This results in booming productive colonies that tend to maintain a large population throughout the year. Try out our Italians, and find out why the Italian honey bee is the most popular bee among beekeepers.
v.s.h.
GENTLE
