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Organic Carniolan queen breeding in Slovenia
MS Carnica Queens is part of Metelko Organic Apiary, a family-run beekeeping operation in Slovenia, the homeland of the Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica). We specialise in raising queens from carefully selected breeding material, combining practical experience with a long-term approach to colony selection.
Our work with bees began in 2009. We started moving towards organic beekeeping in 2012 and obtained organic certification in 2014. Since 2019, we have also supplied Carniolan queens to beekeepers outside Slovenia.
Every breeding season gives us a chance to learn from the colonies we manage. We observe how they develop, how they behave during everyday beekeeping work and how they use available forage. These practical observations, together with breeding records and independent evaluations where available, guide our selection decisions.
For us, good queen breeding is not about a single outstanding result. It is about patiently selecting balanced colonies while respecting the characteristics that make the Carniolan bee distinctive.
Discover how we work
Our Breeding Programme
Learn how we assess colonies, select maternal lines and make long-term breeding decisions based on performance in real beekeeping conditions.
Breeding & Mating Stations
Explore the difference between open-mated production queens and queens mated at breeding stations, including the role of selected drone colonies and our work with Krma and Zelenica.
Metelko Organic Apiary
Meet the people behind MS Carnica Queens and discover the development of our apiary and its everyday beekeeping work.
Organic Certification
See our organic certification and the official documents that support our approach to beekeeping.
From our apiary to yours
We offer open-mated production queens for working colonies, purebred queens from selected maternal lines mated at breeding stations, and overwintered options when available. Each category has its own breeding purpose and practical considerations.
Whether you are choosing a queen for routine requeening or looking for breeding material, we want you to understand how she was raised and what the available records can tell you. We believe that clear information is as important as careful breeding.