A little royalty. A lot of heart.
Adopt A
Queen Bee
Give her a name.
Make someone’s day.
For your favorite person, your family, or just because you love bees. A donation of $100 or more lets you name a queen and turn your support into a personal keepsake.
A symbolic adoption. A real connection to the hive.
A birthday surprise. A family tradition.
A thoughtful little “this made me think of you.”
The heart of her colony
Make it personal
What will you call your queen?
Type a name. Watch her plate come to life.
Naming and a personalized plate are included with donations of $100 or more. Names shown are examples.
Make this adoption yoursA gift that feels like them
A name. A keepsake.
A little joy from the hive.
With a donation of $100 or more, your queen adoption comes with thoughtful touches to keep, give, and look forward to.
A queen name that means something
A favorite flower, a family nickname, or a tribute to someone you love. Your queen’s name goes on the larger top line, with your chosen name underneath on an engraved hive plate.
A personalized digital certificate
A keepsake made for your supporter or gift recipient, ready to save or print at home. The certificate is digital, so there is no paper certificate to wait for in the mail.
A real photo to follow by email
After the plate is engraved and placed on the assigned hive, our team will email a photo with a short introduction to the queen and colony. The plate stays on the hive. Nothing is sent by postal mail.
Your little act of good
Adopt A Queen
A meaningful gift.
A simple place to start.
Choose an amount that feels right for you. Every donation helps support queen health, responsible colony care, and practical honey bee education across America.
- $100 or more: queen naming, your two-line plate, a digital certificate, and a follow-up photo.
- Under $100: a welcome donation that goes straight to payment, without personalization or adoption keepsakes.
Giving for someone else? You can personalize the certificate and include a message. A gift can celebrate a birthday, say thank you, or simply share your love of bees.
Choose one-time or recurring support. Personalization is based on your first payment of $100 or more, not the projected annual total. Recurring payments continue at the frequency shown in Stripe until canceled.
No beekeeping experience needed.
Just a little love for bees.
- 1 Amount
- 2 Personalize
- 3 Review
What would you like to give?
Donation in US dollars.
Use the arrows to change your amount by $10. Any amount of $1 or more is welcome.
Let’s make it personal.
A little personality goes a long way.
We add “Queen” before the name on the plate.
The gift package goes to the buyer’s checkout email, ready to forward or give personally.
Looking lovely.
Check the spelling. This is how your details will appear.
Your adoption is symbolic. The queen stays with her colony and remains in the beekeeper’s care.
Need a simpler donation form?
This form supports direct donations. To receive personalized adoption keepsakes, please use the guided form above or contact buzzus@savethebeesusa.org for help.
The heart of the colony
Queen Health Shapes the Future of a Hive
The Adopt A Queen Program supports honey bee education and responsible hive management by showing how one queen influences colony growth, communication, and long-term health.
A Symbolic Adoption With Real Educational Impact
Your donation supports queen health, responsible hive management, and pollinator education. Adoption is symbolic and does not transfer ownership of a queen bee or a physical hive.
Contributions support pollinator education, hive care, and conservation work that benefits honey bees and other important pollinators. The program is designed for curious individuals, families, classrooms, organizations, and anyone who wants a closer connection to the life of a working colony.
Small bee. Big connection.
Supporting Queens Means Supporting Entire Colonies
Beekeepers monitor brood patterns, food stores, pests, disease, and seasonal conditions to understand whether a queen and colony are thriving.
Queen and Brood Health
Regular inspections help identify changes in egg laying, brood development, and colony strength. Responsible care looks at the whole colony, not just one bee.
Education and Stewardship
Pollinator education helps schools and communities understand queen health and responsible beekeeping. A personal connection can be the beginning of a much bigger curiosity.
Pollinator Conservation
Your donation helps expand education, habitat work, and healthy management practices across the program. Learning about honey bees can also open the door to understanding other pollinators.
Get to know the queen
Four Roles That Keep a Colony Moving
A queen does more than lay eggs. Her biology and chemical signals influence the entire social structure of the hive. “Queen” is her name, but colony life is teamwork.
Colony Growth
A healthy queen can lay large numbers of eggs, renewing the worker population that keeps the colony functioning.
Hive Communication
Queen pheromones help workers coordinate behavior and maintain social order throughout the colony.
Genetic Diversity
Mating flights and stored sperm allow a queen to produce workers from diverse genetic lines, supporting resilience.
Colony Continuity
Workers, nurses, drones, and the queen operate as one connected system that must remain balanced over time.
No experience required
Help Support Healthy Queens and Colonies
You do not need to be a beekeeper to learn from the hive or help support responsible colony care. Here are a few things to know before you choose your queen’s name.
What is included with $100 or more?
A qualifying donation includes a queen name of your choice, an engraved hive nameplate with a second line for your chosen name, a personalized digital certificate, and a follow-up photo after the plate is in place.
Can I donate less than $100?
Absolutely. Every donation is welcome. Donations below $100 go directly to payment without the naming step. They do not include a certificate, nameplate, or follow-up photo.
Can I give an adoption as a gift?
Yes. Choose “A gift” during personalization. Add your recipient’s name for the certificate, choose what belongs on the nameplate, and include an optional message. The digital gift goes to your checkout email so you can share it when the moment is right.
Will a queen or a hive be sent to me?
No. This is a symbolic adoption. The queen stays with her colony in the beekeeper’s care. You receive the digital keepsake and, for qualifying gifts, a photo follow-up rather than live bees or equipment.
How do the certificate and photo arrive?
The certificate is digital and will be sent by email after confirmed payment. The photo comes separately by email after the engraved plate has been placed on the assigned hive. The plate stays on the hive; nothing is mailed. It is a personal follow-up, not an instant or live-camera image.
Is this the same as Adopt A Hive?
The programs share a personal approach, but have different thresholds. Adopt A Queen naming benefits start at $100. Adopt A Hive naming benefits start at $200. In both programs, smaller donations are welcome without the personalized adoption benefits.
Does adoption mean I own the queen?
No. Naming and recognition are part of a symbolic sponsorship. They do not transfer ownership, guarantee a queen’s lifespan, or replace the beekeeper’s decisions about colony care. Queens and colonies are living systems that can change over time.
A little love goes a long way
Adopt A Queen and Strengthen Honey Bee Education
Your donation helps people understand colony health while advancing responsible beekeeping and pollinator conservation. Give in your own name, celebrate someone special, or simply help the hive.
Find your queen’s name Personalized adoption from $100. Every donation welcome.