WHO WE ARE
Apicoltura La Fenice is the leader of a beekeeping companies network which produce and trade live bees all over Europe , and beyond: package bees loads. NO AETHINA TUMIDA. NO AFRICANIZED BEES!!!, queens and nucs.
Within our network, all companies work hand in hand with Apicoltura la Fenice, They run operations in an integrated way, respecting unified production protocols, Retreat Estate and Chlorine Beekeeping.
The main headquarter is based in Lecce, in the heart of Salento, ideal set to breed bees early and to keep a costant production all season long thanks to abundance of pollen and never too violent nectar flows.
The other production site is located in Tortona, in Piedmont, that works best during spring and hot summer periods.
Ultimately a complex organization capable of covering the best quality and efficiency with all the requirements of the national and international market beekeeping.
OUR HISTORY
2011
Luca Consigli starts this project, in collaboration with Roberto Ventura. From the beginning the clear goal was to improve quality and conquer a space in the live bees market.
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2012
After a meeting in Tuscany and discussing and planning common goals for the future, the collaboration with Giacomo Acerbi's Tenuta Ritiro begins. Beekeeping capital increases. Apicoltura La Fenice starts to introduce and test Buckfast queens in its hives, Withdrawal of which the estate can be considered a pioneer in the field precursor Italian. Alessio Colombo becomes part of the team. Apicoltura La Fenice starts to serve the french market
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2013
After a year of very convincing evidence, Buckfast strains are introduced mainly in all hives to increase yield. Production techniques improve. Package bees are produced without drones, shaking bees from honey super with an excluder. Queens breeding is managed almost autonomously by a team of specialists directed by Alessio Colombo, focused on the search of the best product possible
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2014
Despite a difficult season, an exceptionally rainy and windy spring , and alarming news about the discovery of Small Hive Beetle in Calabria, which created panic and misinformation throughout Europe, Apicoltura la Fenice continues to grow by entering new markets such as German and British ones. The increasingly close collaboration with the Estate Collection and market demands, force Consigli and Acerbi to engage in the selection of the best possible genetics to reproduce and work with. They establish stable relationships with the best Buckfast breeders, all over, Europe.
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2015
Long collaboration between Consigli and Acerbi is formalized with the birth of Apicoltura La Fenice S.S.A. The company is more professional and specializes in an even more marked. Main headquarter in Lecce is managed by Consigli Luca together with Ventura Roberto and their teams. Queens breeding is now totally delegated to Colombo Alessio and his team. Acerbi Giacomo run operations in Northern Italy.
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2016
A new organic certificated company, Sakura S.S.A. is created by Luca Consigli, Acerbi and their wives. It's focused in enlarging bees breeding in northern Italy.
Meanwhile in Lecce La Fenice he never ceases to innovate and improve production processes and quality of bees.
An exclusive partnership with the finnish breeder Juhani Lunden begins for a long-term project about genetic improvement aimed at varroa resistance. Working team is consolidated and becomes the essential basis for achieving important goals. Ventura, Fioretti, Legittimo, Quarta, and seasonal workers directed by Consigli Luca, are now working togheter since years. Alessio Colombo with Dario and their team increase queens sales to 15000 units.
Apicoltura la Fenice' bees are flying in almost all European countries .
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2017
Apicoltura La Fenice becomes a "Beekeeping Business Network" which include Clori Apicoltura by Roberto Ventura, Apicoltura Colombo by Alessio Colombo and Sakura S.S.A.. It reaches 6500 packages, 1500 nucs and 18000 queens, numbers that combined with those of the Estate Retreat friends make the group the absolute leader in Europe and one of the largest in the world with nearly 45000 queens bees sold. The absolute reference in the Buckfast world.
Murray McGregor of Denrosa apiaries becomes officially Apicoltura La Fenice's dealer throughout the United Kingdom.
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2018
La Fenice looks out of Italy. They are laying the foundations for the establishment of the company Esterel beekeeping Apiculture. settled in an optimal area to breed bees and queen, in the heart of the Côte d'Azur in the Esterel Massif Natural Park, Consigli, Acerbi and Colombo think that it could be better to breed bees directly in France to serve fragmented french market avoiding exportations from Italy. Colombo will manage this new adventure, leaving the direction of breeding queen bees team of Lecce Dario, now long experienced. A transition season that does not preclude La Fenice from growing and entering new markets. Fenice's bees reach places as far away as Lebanon, Iran, UAE and China after positively testing intercontinental air transport. It was decided that the role of Fenice's workers, as a fundamental element to achieve these ambitious goals, should be considered in the same way as that of a real partner, both sharing company management and having a percentage on profits.
An ethical and social revolution in the beekeeping sector, as well as a fair success for those with merit and loyalty contribute to the functioning of the Phoenix.
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2019
One of the worst memories that springs Italian beekeeping. Without exaggerating, in Salento not remember more than 2 consecutive days over 20 degrees and windless, from January until the end of May. Neve, rain, cold and wind did not give truce to flow directly and without notice in the summer for over 35 degrees and a very warm autumn and dry. Despite these difficulties, and reviewing business plans slightly, we are able to ensure our customers, in Italy, in Europe and in the world, our products without neglecting to leave anyone behind.
It is also the year in which Beekeeping La Fenice begins retailing and km 0 of their honey, produced exclusively in the territory and in all national parks and protected areas of Salento. La Fenice faces even more on the world market with the successful participation, shared with friends of the Estate Retreat, ad Apimondia 2019 a Montreal in Canada.
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2020
Needless to say, how complex and particular this season has been. It will be remembered as the Covid-19 season, of fear, of the lockdown but also like the black year of honey. Despite all the difficulties and vicissitudes we have managed to distribute our bees and our queens throughout Europe. Customers who didn't panic during the lockdown rewarded us as usual. Fortunately for Salento, honey production has not collapsed as in the rest of Italy. We have also further specialized in the selection and sale of queens and packs with varroa resistance traits. By means of the isolated fertilization station, instrumental insemination and countless tests, we are trying to create the best possible product and the results would seem to reward us. in conclusion, such a difficult year, but that we managed to overcome without setbacks, having even greater incentives to change, improve and experiment. On the other hand, it is in difficulties that unexpected resources are brought out.
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2021
Another year of Covid-19 but still a year of goals achieved.
It will certainly be remembered as the Annus horribilis of honey production in Italy (all over) but once again we can say that despite the climatic and sanitary adversities with skill, passion and a bit of luck, we even managed to improve ourselves in our bee productions. New investments to meet the demands of new overseas markets, new challenges and new successes.
An increasingly important and decisive female presence in queens breeding. Instrumental insemination as an internal tool within the company for the protection and safeguarding of old winning genetics and a team that consolidates over the years making Fenice an increasingly solid and established reality.
Even the production and sale of organic honey of La Fenice Miele has seen the definitive consecration in the territory, becoming the number one reality 1 organic honey from Salento both in specialized shops and in local distribution.
Becoming the reference for quality bees and honey both locally and in the world was the challenge won by 2021.
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2022
Il 2022 we can call it another year of stalemate. Many problems unrelated to and not related to beekeeping. Of an economic and social nature.
Even the past years of non-production of honey at a European level have lowered consumption and contracted purchases.
We at the Fenice have once again managed to navigate in choppy waters without losing our course too much (see packs of bees and swarms) but even growing a lot with the production of queens and the improvement of selection techniques. Thanks to our professionalism we were able to respect all deliveries even during an extremely cold spring which saw many other companies unable to produce almost anything.
And the market has rewarded us for the rest of the year
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2023
The phrase that best describes this season would be: when a door closes, a door opens (if you have the right spirit). At the beginning everything foreshadowed the worst. A tragic socio-economic situation globally. Italian beekeeping sector in crisis due to difficulties’ to produce, to rising costs and falling honey prices. And not least,unexpected farewells of historic company employees. Let's also add a cold spring in Salento, rainy and swarming like never before…it seemed like the perfect storm. Facing all these obstacles with a practically new team. But our name Fenice says it all and calmly, desire and patience we rolled up our sleeves and took advantage of these changes to re-establish and start again with working methods, genetics and team synchronisms more’ modern and innovative. Despite the initial decline in terms of quantity’ of bees and queens sold, hard work, i sacrifici e un pizzico di fortuna ci hanno ripagato con una stagione record di produzione di miele che insieme all’acquisizione di nuovi importanti clienti, ci ha consentito di compensare abbondantemente le difficoltà iniziali. In definitiva, la stagione della quale andiamo piu’ fieri.
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our price list
QUEENS BEES PRICE LIST
For more info about availability, dates and shipping costs visit the PRICE LIST page.
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