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IQBA Queens
Purchase Indiana bred & adapted mated queens, virgin queens & queen cells
Selecting a reliable source for bees and queens is essential, as genetics and colony health directly influence apiary success. McComBees Apiaries produces small batches of high-quality queens for hobbyist beekeepers. Owner Dave McComb is a certified queen rearer through the Indiana Queen Breeders Association (IQBA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to training beekeepers in queen-rearing techniques and improving cold-weather survivor stock with strong mite and virus resistance.
Rather than emphasizing specific bee breeds, the IQBA promotes queens that demonstrate proven, field-tested traits valuable to Indiana beekeepers.
Traits Important to Indiana Beekeepers
Disease/Virus/Mite Resistance
Gentleness and Workability
Productivity
Local Adaptability
Some of the genetics within the IQBA stock originate from the Heartland Honey Bee Breeders Cooperative (HHBBC), a not-for-profit organization that facilitates the exchange of information, queen-rearing techniques, and disease-resistant stock among breeders in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Illinois. This collaboration occurs annually during a queen insemination event hosted by the Purdue University Honey Bee Extension in early June.
Source of McComBees Apiaries Genetics
IQBA Instrumentally Inseminated Breeder Queen
Grafted Stock from the IQBA Field Day
Grafted Stock from My Apiaries
As an IQBA-certified queen rearer, McComBees Apiaries is committed to producing high-quality queens with proven performance traits. These are the same genetics that have contributed to the apiary’s own success. Actual results in the field, however, depend heavily on management practices, and outcomes will vary based on conditions and beekeeper decisions. While no specific performance can be guaranteed, purchasing a queen from McComBees Apiaries provides a strong foundation for success by offering the advantages outlined below.
Benefits of Buying Local Queens
Adaptive traits that match your environment
Queen confinement is kept to a minimum
Queen can be removed and reintroduced on the same day
A direct connection with a queen rearer in the area
$5 from the purchase of every mated queen and $3 from the purchase of every virgin queen and queen cell go to the IQBA to help finance the Queen Breeder Program.
All queen cells, virgin queens and mated queens are store pickup only.
The first mated queens are usually available for pickup by the start of June.
Virgin queens and queen cells are usually available for pickup by the end of April.