Buy and sell locally with Bee-Market – simple, fast, and made for your community.
Effective date: 1 March 2026
In the UK, bee health and movements are regulated by the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) and DEFRA. They control notifiable bee diseases (e.g. European/ American Foulbrood) and can impose movement restrictions in affected zones. Moving or selling bees while restrictions apply may be illegal.
Before listing or transporting live bees, sellers must: (1) check for any local movement restrictions; (2) ensure bees are healthy and disease-free; and (3) transport them in a way that prevents suffering or harm (Animal Welfare Act 2006).
Where to check: GOV.UK – Beekeeping advice & regulations · National Bee Unit (NBU) · Bee Diseases & Pests Control Order 2006 · Animal Welfare Act 2006
This page explains Bee Market’s rules for selling live bees, including queen bees, nucleus colonies (nucs), and full colonies. These rules summarise UK law and good practice in simple terms. They are here to protect buyers, sellers, and the bees themselves.
Your responsibility: All sellers must comply with UK law on animal welfare, disease control, and transport. Bee Market provides this policy for guidance, but sellers are legally responsible for their own bees and listings.
Ventilation: Use rigid, chew-resistant containers with secure mesh/vent panels on multiple sides to prevent overheating. Avoid plastic wrapping that blocks airflow. Ensure bees cannot escape.
Feed & hydration: Provide an appropriate feed source (e.g. fondant) inside the container. Do not ship hungry or light colonies.
Temperature & timing: Ship in suitable weather; avoid extremes of heat or cold. Use next-day services only, post early in the week to avoid weekend delays, and aim for evening/early-morning dispatch to reduce heat build-up.
Stability & shock absorption: Prevent frame movement and comb damage. Secure frames (for nucs/colonies), add internal bracing, and use padding to absorb knocks.
Blocking flight entrance: Seal entrances fully during transport. Provide ventilation through mesh/vents, not open entrances.
Clear labelling: Mark parcels “LIVE BEES – HANDLE WITH CARE” and include an upright/orientation arrow and your contact number.
Service choice: On Bee Market, live bee transport must use an approved specialist service suitable for bees. Where Bee Market delivery is offered, this is HiveRoute, a scheduled apiary-to-apiary delivery service designed for live bees, with no depot storage and a target journey time of no more than 8 hours from collection to delivery. Sellers must not use unapproved economy parcel services for nucleus colonies or full colonies.
Disease compliance: Do not move bees from or through restricted areas. Check NBU alerts and follow APHA instructions before dispatch.
No returns: For biosecurity and welfare reasons, live bees are not returnable. Agree any DOA (dead-on-arrival) remedies in your listing beforedispatch (e.g. partial refund or replacement of queens), and keep records.
Queen bees may be transported within the UK if packaged correctly and moved using a suitable service. On Bee Market, queen bee delivery is offered through HiveRoute Queen Bee Postage, a scheduled specialist delivery service arranged once per week. The queen must be secured in an appropriate cage with attendants, ventilation, and feed where required. Sellers are responsible for safe preparation, lawful movement, and correct labelling, and must not dispatch queens from restricted areas or where disease controls apply.
Nucleus colonies (nucs) are small starter colonies, usually supplied on 3 to 6 frames with a queen, brood, and workers. On Bee Market, nucs may be sold for collection or transported using HiveRoute Nucleus Direct, a scheduled specialist apiary-to-apiary service designed for live bees. Transport must provide proper ventilation, stable frame positioning, and direct movement without depot storage. Sellers must ensure nucs are healthy, secure, and lawfully movable before dispatch.
On Bee Market, nucs may be collected in person or transported through the approved HiveRoute service where available. Sellers remain fully responsible for compliance with bee health restrictions, welfare standards, and safe handover.
Full established colonies are not suitable for standard postal or non-specialist courier networks. On Bee Market, full colonies may be sold for collection or transported using HiveRoute Apiary Direct, a specialist direct-delivery service for live bees. Transport must include secure hive positioning, proper ventilation, and direct apiary-to-apiary movement without depot storage. Sellers must ensure the colony is fit to travel and that no movement restrictions or disease controls apply.
Important: Bee Market may remove listings, suspend selling access, or take enforcement action if these requirements are not met. Bee Market is a marketplace only and does not handle or inspect live bees. Compliance with law and welfare standards is the sole responsibility of the seller. Bee Market accepts no liability for losses, disease spread, or transport failures.