About Us

We're bug people. Proudly.

Hive Queen Insects started the way most great things do — out of a genuine passion and a problem that needed solving. As reptile and amphibian keepers ourselves, we knew how hard it was to find feeder insects that were truly healthy, raised with care, and actually arrived alive. So we decided to raise them ourselves — right here in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What began as a small operation has grown into a locally owned, woman-owned farm dedicated to one thing: raising the best feeder insects possible, the right way.

Raised Naturally. No Shortcuts.

We believe what goes into your feeder insects matters just as much as the insects themselves. That's why every cricket, mealworm, and roach we raise is grown completely free of hormones, chemicals, and pesticides. Our insects are raised on wholesome, natural diets in a clean, carefully managed environment — because a healthy feeder insect means a healthy pet.

We never cut corners. Your animals deserve better than that, and so do you.

Cincinnati Grown, Community Rooted

We're proud to call Cincinnati home. As a local farm, we offer both shipping across the US and local pickup for our neighbors in the greater Cincinnati area — so you can get fresh, healthy feeders fast, without the wait.

When you shop with us, you're supporting a small, woman-owned business that genuinely cares about the animals in your care and the community we share.

Our Live Arrival Promise

We know that ordering live insects online requires trust. We take that seriously. Every order is carefully packed to ensure your insects arrive healthy, active, and ready to feed. Your satisfaction — and your animals' health — is our top priority.

Thank you for choosing Hive Queen Insects. Whether you're a longtime reptile keeper or just getting started, we're here to make feeding time simple, reliable, and stress-free.

Welcome to Hive Queen Insects!

We're a small, local, woman-owned and operated insect farm that got started in Raleigh, NC. While we still maintain a hub there, we've recently made the difficult decision to relocate a big chunk of our insect facilities to Southwest Ohio to be closer to our family! We're now shipping and offering local pickup in both Raleigh, NC and the Cincinnati/Batavia region of Ohio.

We're dedicated to producing the highest quality live feed for your beloved pets - for wild birds, chickens, reptiles, mammals, fish, and more!

We fell in love with rearing insects years ago when we discovered how much our quail and chickens loved eating termites. We'd go into the woods, find an old log and shake the termites out. We'd watch as the quail and chickens devoured them. It was strangely thrilling! Needless to say, we were hooked on feeding our pets live insects.

Several years later we learned all about the commercial bug industry and how a disruption hormone is sprayed on insects to prevent them from growing naturally. The insects we bought from local chains and even online vendors all showed signs of hormonal treatment. Not only that, but the insects were frail, hungry, and half dead on arrival. We wanted something better.

We care for our insects pretty obsessively. We never use any hormones or additives, and we feed them fruits and veggies sourced from small local farmers.

Within 3 generations of breeding our own insects, we noticed they became fatter, grew stronger, and lived longer than any other insect on the market. And customers were beginning to say the same thing. In fact, in our first year of starting this business, our customers were telling us they got more bluebird clutches per season than ever before, just from feeding them our mealworms.

We hear stories all the time about switching from bait shop worms to our worms and how much of a difference it has made to their pet's health and vitality. It really does make a difference!

Because we feed our insects a healthy all-natural diet, your pets will see the benefits and you will be getting your money's worth. Why pay for anemic, half-dead bugs that may or may not have been sprayed with chemicals when you can choose the healthier alternative that you KNOW is all natural and 100% safe for your pets. We stand behind the quality of our insects and we can't wait to share them with you!

We also offer a standing discount to wildlife rehabbers across the country - contact us for more info!

Check out our bugs!