VETERAN-OWNED
PROUDLY
WOMAN-OWNED
Sustainably-Raised Small Meats, Poultry, Eggs and Farm Products
Our Apiary
Beekeeping is a fascinating endeavor. Aside from being an incredibly important element of balance in our ecosystems, there are many incredibly interesting aspects of bees' evolutionary biology and behavior. Did you know that one out of every three bites of your food is the result of bee pollination? Honey is the only food made by insects that humans consume and honey harvesting dates all the way back to 6,000 B.C (and maybe earlier). Additionally, honey has great antibacterial/antimicrobial properties and we use it here on the farm to treat animal wounds! We name our hives after galaxies and other celestial bodies. Seems fit when you consider their nucleus-based structure and the mysteries of how they do what they do (excuse us while we geek out over here).
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Like anything else in farming, successfully raising and keeping bees requires attention and care. There is a delicate balance in each hive that the bees manage very well by themselves (another fascinating characteristic of bees!) but occasionally imbalances occur and need quick and proper intervention. As with our other animals (yes, bees are livestock too), we are always learning how to be better and more responsible beekeepers. Follow our journey as we grow our apiary here at Bear Run Farm! Or even better, come visit!
Honey Bee Colonies
As beekeepers we care for bees at the colony/hive level. This is one of our young hives and shows almost a full frame of brood (baby bees). The colony must establish itself first before it starts to store any excess honey. And a colony is healthy only when it is in balance. The tasks in the hive are kept in balance by feedback - hormones and pheromones. Our job as beekeepers is to work with that colony biology to make sure they maintain that balance - that there always is a queen, that they have space to grow, that they have all the resources they need, and that they are free from disease.
The Honey Bee Hive
The honey bee evolved as a forest animal but is adaptable to virtually any habitat. The traditional hive structure used today is the Langstroth hive which both meets the required needs of the bees (sheltered, dark, small/defensible entrance, allows for growth, comb structure with bee space, separation of brood and food) and provides manageable access for the beekeeper. We use both 10-frame and 8-frame Langstroth hives here at Bear Run Farm. While very similar, the small variation in size can have different implications on a colony's growth and ability to overwinter.
