of bees is made of a queen and 3 to 5 pounds of bees, typically around 20000 bees. The bees are shipped in a cage clustered around a caged queen. The queen is typically unrelated to the bees, so the cage creates a barrier between the bees and the queen. Packages are usually shipped in the spring from regions of mild winter climates to areas that have more severe winters. References Beekeeping