What Crown Bees does

Crown Bees, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company specializing in solitary, cavity-nesting native bees (primarily Mason and Leafcutter species), cedar bee houses, nesting materials, and pollinator garden accessories. The company's core technology is biological rather than software-based: a BeeSafe™ Standard covering bee house materials, nesting materials, care practices, and seasonal protocols, developed over 18+ years of solitary bee stewardship. Region-specific bee sourcing by ecoregion, a loose cocoon shipping and inspection system to prevent pest spread, and a Bee Buy Back program for customer-harvested cocoons form the proprietary operational backbone. Product lines span live bee cocoons, handcrafted Pacific NW cedar bee houses, lakebed reeds, wood trays, pest management accessories (Houdini Fly Trap, HumidiBee, BeeGuard, InvitaBee), educational books, and pollinator garden seeds. The business model is unit-pricing DTC e-commerce with a single primary storefront (crownbees.com), supplemented by a Shopify Collective wholesale program, content creator and landscaper partner programs, local pickup at the Woodinville location, and FedEx 2-Day shipping to U.S. and Canada. OBA (Orchard Bee Association) certification provides third-party quality validation, and the customer base is fragmented across home gardeners, small commercial orchards, educators, and conservation organizations.

Name

Crown Bees

Legal name

Crown Bees

Website

https://crownbees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crown Bees is a Woodinville, WA-based e-commerce company that sells native Mason and Leafcutter bees, cedar bee houses, nesting materials, and pollinator garden supplies directly to home gardeners, hobby farmers, educators, and conservation organizations across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pollinator supplies

NAICS

Apiculture (112910)

akta.pro primary industry

Package Bees & Colony Sales (AFAEAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beekeeping Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Hives, Frames, Tools, PPE) (AFAEAHAI), Organic Apiculture (Beekeeping) (AFAEAMAG)

Keywords

• Native bee supplies
• Solitary bee raising
• Pollinator garden products
• Cedar bee houses
• Nesting materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodinville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Live Bee Cocoon Sales: Sale of Mason bee and Leafcutter bee cocoons with seasonal shipping. Region-specific pricing with discounts for bulk orders (e.g., 25% off when buying 2+ sets of Leafcutter bees). Cocoons ship separately from other products on Mondays to ensure bee health.
2. Bee House Sales: Sale of cedar bee houses including Cabana, Chalet, Villa, and Tower models. Houses handcrafted in Washington from sustainably sourced Pacific NW cedar. Available as standalone houses or bundled in complete kits with bees.
3. Nesting Materials: Replacement and accessory nesting materials including natural reeds (8mm for Mason, 6mm for Leafcutter), wood trays, BeeTubes, inserts, and bee observation trays. Materials designed for openable harvesting.
4. Accessories and Care Products: Accessories including HumidiBee humidifiers, BeeGuard pest prevention bags, Houdini Fly traps, InvitaBee attractants, Clean Bee solution, cocoon hatcheries, mud boxes, harvest tools, and bee house preservatives.
5. Education and Publications: Sale of books including Mason Bee Revolution 2nd Edition, Wild Bee Guide 4th Edition, and other educational materials. Downloadable resources including presentation materials and party handouts.
6. Rewilding Products: Seeds for pollinators including flowering lawn seeds, PNW native seeds, seed pops, and gift seed tins. Wild bee house sets and pollinator packs.
7. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in denominations from $10 to $1000. Redeemable on any Crown Bees product with no expiration date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Crown Bees sells live Mason and Leafcutter bee cocoons alongside handcrafted cedar bee houses, replacement nesting materials (reeds, wood trays, tubes), and a full line of care accessories (humidifiers, pest traps, attractants, harvest tools). The company ships OBA-certified, region-specific bee cocoons seasonally and provides bundled kits that combine a bee house with bees and nesting supplies for first-time solitary bee raisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spring Mason Bees OBA-certified, region-specific Mason bee cocoons sold in 40-count sets with natural male/female ratios. Shipped seasonally via FedEx 2-Day on Mondays for spring pollination of fruit trees and berries.
• Summer Leafcutter Bees Region-specific Leafcutter bee cocoons sold in sets of 200+, shipped May through August for summer pollination of vegetables, flowers, and late-season fruits. Bulk discount of 25% on 2+ sets.
• Cedar Bee Houses (Cabana, Chalet, Villa, Tower) Handcrafted bee houses made in Washington from sustainably sourced Pacific Northwest cedar in four models (Cabana, Chalet, Villa, Tower), sold standalone or as part of complete kits.
• Kits + Bees (Complete Kits) Bundled beginner kits that combine a cedar bee house, bee cocoons, and setup instructions. Available in Spring Mason bee and Summer Leafcutter bee configurations across all house models.
• Nesting Materials (Reeds, Wood Trays, Tubes & Inserts) Replacement nesting media including lakebed reeds (8mm for Mason bees, 6mm for Leafcutters), Pacific Northwest alder wood trays, BeeTubes, and observation trays designed for openable harvesting.
• Bee Care Accessories Care products including HumidiBee cocoon humidifier, BeeGuard pest prevention bag, Houdini Fly trap, InvitaBee pheromone attractant, Clean Bee solution, AntCant deterrent, Mason Bee Mud Mix, and cocoon hatcheries.
• Books and Educational Publications Published books including Mason Bee Revolution 2nd Edition by Dave Hunter and Wild Bee Guide 4th Edition, plus downloadable presentations, party handouts, and reference materials.
• Rewilding and Pollinator Garden Products Seeds for pollinators including flowering lawn seeds, Pacific Northwest native seeds, seed pops, gift seed tins, wild bee house sets, and pollinator packs.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable on any Crown Bees product in denominations from $10 to $1,000, with no expiration date.

Quantifiable outcome

• A single Mason bee can do the work of 60-100 honey bees in pollination
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orchard Bee Association (OBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBA certification partnership for Mason bee quality standards. Crown Bees provides OBA-certified region-specific bees. Bees sourced and sold back to same ecoregions for optimal pollination adaptation.
• Monarch Joint VentureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPollinator conservation partnership. Joint mission to support monarch butterflies and native pollinators through habitat education and products.
• Pollinator PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLargest non-profit dedicated to pollinator education and conservation. Cross-promotion of pollinator-friendly gardening practices and native plant resources.
• Planet Bee FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit focused on bee education and conservation. Partnership supports shared mission of native pollinator awareness.
• Wild OnesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNative plant landscape organization promoting natural landscaping for pollinators. Joint education on rewilding and native plant support.
• EnviroStarsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental recognition program for sustainable businesses. Certifies Crown Bees as environmentally responsible business.
• KG (logo partner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting sustainable pollinator initiatives.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mann Lake Ltd: Mann Lake is the largest US hobbyist and commercial beekeeping supplier, offering honey bee equipment, medications, and apparel. While their core focus is Apis mellifera honey bees, their scale, catalog breadth (hives, frames, feed), and direct-to-consumer plus dealer distribution make them the dominant incumbent whose channel and logistics Crown Bees competes against in the beekeeping equipment aisle.
• Dadant & Sons: Dadant is a century-old beekeeping supply company providing honey bee equipment, queens, and supplies to hobbyist and commercial beekeepers. Comparable as a broad e-commerce storefront for bee-related hardware, tools, and consumables, though centered on honey bees rather than solitary cavity-nesting species.
• Betterbee: Betterbee is a NY-based beekeeping supplier selling honey bee equipment, glassware, and educational resources, with strong educational content analogous to Crown Bees' BeeMail program. Comparable as a hobbyist-focused apiculture retailer whose e-commerce-first model and educational emphasis directly parallel Crown Bees' DTC-plus-content strategy.
• Brushy Mountain Bee Farm: Brushy Mountain Bee Farm supplies hobbyist and sideliner beekeepers with woodenware, extractors, and protective gear. Comparable as an established e-commerce retailer in the apiculture supplies category; differs in honey bee orientation versus Crown Bees' solitary bee specialization.
• GloryBee: GloryBee is an Oregon-based beekeeping and honey products company with retail and bulk/wholesale arms. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest apiculture retailer with both consumer and wholesale channels and pollinator-focused branding, though their portfolio leans heavily toward honey production rather than solitary bee cultivation.

Emerging players

• Insect Lore: Insect Lore sells live insect kits (butterflies, ladybugs, ants) primarily to families and educators. Comparable as a DTC e-commerce retailer monetizing live insects + educational kits for the home and classroom segment, overlapping with Crown Bees' educator and family customer base.

Regional players

• Gardener's Supply Company: Gardener's Supply is a Vermont-based employee-owned garden supply retailer offering pollinator houses, raised beds, and educational gardening content. Comparable in pollinator-friendly product curation and educational content model, though broader in gardening scope versus Crown Bees' solitary bee specialization.

Others

• Pollinator Partnership: Pollinator Partnership is the largest US nonprofit dedicated to pollinator conservation, running the NAPPC and Bee Smart programs. Comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor; relevant given that Crown Bees maintains a cross-promotion partnership with them and shares the pollinator awareness mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crownbees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crown Bees