When you order live bees from Barnyard Bees online, by phone, via email, in person, or by mail, you agree to the following policies, contract terms, conditions, limitations, and exceptions.
What To Expect
- All bee orders will come with a certificate of health from the GA apiary inspector.
- Upon purchasing with us you can feel confident that each hive is inspected for the health of the queen/colony, hive population, brood production, and honey output. However, due to many factors beyond our control, honeybees are sold as is.
- Barnyard Bees can only guarantee that the bees are delivered to the Postal Service in good condition. We cannot and do not in any way guarantee that USPS will deliver the bees to you in good condition. Barnyard Bees is no longer liable for the bees once they are accepted by the carrier; our only liability is to deliver the bees to USPS in good condition.
- Although the bees have been thoroughly checked, we do not guarantee that you will be able to successfully establish a “hive” with your package/queen order. By purchasing, you agree that you will not attempt to hold us responsible for whatever may happen to your package/queen after it is delivered, or for the survival or productivity of the hive that you establish from the package. We will not refund any money for bees that do not survive.
- We currently ship to the continental US (excluding live bees in some states – see section below). You can place your order online 24/7 right here on our site. If you have questions or if you’re just not sure what you need, feel free to give us a call and speak to a member of our sales team at (706) 971-2700.
Tracking Your Shipment
We ship via UPS and USPS. You will receive a tracking number when your order ships.
Expedited Shipping Charges
Need your order right away? We offer “Next Day”, “2 Day” and “3 Day” shipping on most items. Select your shipping method at checkout.
Ordering Live Bees and Queens
- Live bees and queens are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- We recommend ordering early to ensure your desired ship or pickup date.
- When purchasing online or by phone, please be sure your name and address are correct. Errors and/or typos are the customer’s responsibility. Barnyard Bees is not liable for typos in the online ordering system, and they cannot be fixed once the label is purchased.
- Please carefully choose the shipping timeframe based on YOUR local Spring weather. We do not check weather across the country before sending your order. Your chosen shipping timeframe cannot be changed once the label is purchased.
- You will be emailed a ship date and tracking number prior to shipping. Please understand these may change when weather conditions do not cooperate.
- There are a limited amount of bees available throughout the season.
Shipping Bees and Queens
- We are able to ship packaged bees and queens through the United States Postal Service (USPS).
- Package Bee orders are shipped via USPS ground (per the postal service they are now required to ship surface only and are not allowed on planes) with an automatic $100 insurance. Included in your package is approximately 3 lbs of bees, a caged queen, and a can of feeding syrup that should last 7-9 days during transit.
- As packages become available in the spring (starting in March), they will be shipped out in order of date the order was received.
- Due to shipping distance and the amount of time it takes to deliver, packages cannot be shipped to the west coast at any time and will not ship past Texas in the hottest part of summer (to be determined by Barnyard Bees). If you live in those areas and want to ensure you receive your bees before that, make sure you purchase ASAP.
- Queens can be shipped vis USPS or UPS. We recommend choosing the UPS overnight option for orders with multiple queens.
- Nucs are for pickup only.
- Should you wish to cancel your order prior to shipping/pick up, package bees and nucs have a $40 nonrefundable deposit.
Picking Up Your Bees
- You MUST pick up your packaged bees or nucs on your scheduled date ONLY. Barnyard Bees is not responsible for the condition of your bees if you do not arrive for your scheduled pickup date.
- If your bees are picked up in store, you agree that the condition of the bees is acceptable, please note that all sales are final once the bees leave the store premises, and no refunds are allowed.
Damages or Losses
- Barnyard Bees will not refund any money for live bees, however, if you have an issue, please call us and we will help you file a claim or work toward getting you a replacement, if available. USPS requires your postal clerk to submit form PS2856 for proof of damage, along with a picture that shows the entire package. We must have those before we can move forward with any claims/replacements.
- You must contact Barnyard Bees customer service at (706) 971-2700 within 24 hours of receiving a damaged shipment.
- Replacements will be sent at our discretion, based on the amount of damage/loss. This is typically when there is 1.5 inches or more dead spread evenly across the bottom of the package.
- In the event, we supply replacement bees, customers are responsible for shipping and insurance on the replacement package.
- If there are issues with queen performance (within 10 days of pickup or delivery date), or if you receive a dead queen in your package bee shipment, please contact us at (706) 971-2700 within 24 hours.
Our Warranty
- At Barnyard Bees, we’re proud to stand behind the quality and care that goes into each item we sell, and we’re dedicated to making sure our customers are happy with their purchase. We warrant our equipment and supplies to be free from defect in materials and workmanship within the first 30 days. If you find one of our products to be defective, we’ll work to make it right.
- For warranty inquiries, please contact us at (706) 971-2700. The product must be unused, in good condition, and unaltered.
- Items returned may be subject to a 20% restocking fee.
Returns
Please follow all instructions below when returning merchandise:
- The customer is responsible for paying shipping costs on all returned items.
- Items must be returned within 30 days of receipt.
- Items must be in “like new” condition.
- Items not in “like new” condition will be subject to a restocking fee of 30% or more depending on the state of the item returned.
- A copy of your original invoice is required.
- If you are unable to supply a copy of your invoice, please call and we may be able to get you a new copy.
- We are unable to take any returns on items purchased directly through Amazon.com or any other 3rd party.
- We are unable to accept returns on any hazardous materials.
- Barnyard Bees is not responsible for items being returned to us which are lost or damaged. Please keep a copy of your tracking information, and it is recommended you include shipping insurance when returning items to us.
Exchanges
Please follow all instructions when sending back an item for exchange:
- The customer will be responsible for paying return shipping costs on all returned products as well as the shipping on any new item sent in exchange.
- The customer is responsible to pay any cost differences for products exchanged.
- Exchanges must be made within 30 days of receipt.
- Items must be in “like new” condition.
- Items not in “like new” condition will be subject to a restocking fee of 30% or more depending on the state of the item returned. This may affect any additional balance due on the item you would like to receive in exchange.
- A copy of your original invoice is required.
- If you are unable to supply your invoice, please call and we may be able to get you a new copy.
- We are unable to take any exchanges on items purchased directly through Amazon.com or any other 3rd party.
- Barnyard Bees is not responsible for items being returned to us which are lost or damaged. Please keep a copy of your tracking information, and it is recommended you include shipping insurance when returning items to us.
Replacing Damaged or Wrong Merchandise
If items arrive damaged or the wrong merchandise was sent, please contact us so we can resolve the issue.
When a situation occurs where Barnyard Bees is shipping another product to you as replacement for damaged or incorrect product and we request the damaged or incorrect item be returned, Barnyard Bees will include a return shipping label, inside the replacement package, that will expire 30 days after it is issued. The full price of any items not returned within 30 days of the receipt of your replacement order will be charged to your credit card that was used on your original purchase or billed to your Barnyard Bees account. These charges will not be refunded until we receive your return.
If you have questions/concerns regarding this policy or your order, please feel free to give us a call at 706-971-2700. Thank you, we appreciate your business!
**There is potential risk of injury from actives involved in beekeeping, and while particular rules, equipment and personal care may reduce the risk, the risk of injury does exist; and you knowingly and freely assume all such risks, both known and unknown, even if arising from negligence of the releasees or others, and assume full responsibility for your participation; and, hereby release and hold harmless Barnyard Bees Incorporated, their officers, other participants, and if applicable, owner and lessors of the premises (“releasees”) used to conduct any event with respect to any and all injury, disability, or loss or damage to person or property, to the fullest extent of the law, whether arising from the negligence of the released or otherwise.