Bees
The creators
We raise our bees in the Bulkley Valley, known for diversity of farmland and wild forests, high mountain wildflowers and cutblocks filled with fireweed. We keep our bees at key locations around the Bulkley Valley to capitalize on different bloom times which creates a variety of honey that is flavourful and clean.
Our challenges of long winters and short summers make for interesting techniques that we are constantly changes and modifying. We have many hives overwintering outdoors and have had much success with moving hives indoor in a temperature controlled environment.
Bee FAQs
We are constantly trying new ways to get high over-wintering survival rates which means we have a few ways to keep the bees over the long winter months.
We have some bees spending winter in a temperature controlled indoor environment. We have hives that are insulated and left at the site. We also move hives to strategic locations around the Valley so they are out of the harsh wind and ready for maximum potential in the Spring.
Never ask a beekeeper how many hives they have! This number varies depending on the time of year you ask…. we have enough hives that we produce honey for sale to many retail stores as well as our own online sales.
We are always increasing our hive numbers and would like to eventually have enough hives that we can consistently supply the Northwest with Nucs in the spring each year.
Again, this varies from year to year and season to season. We have sold nucs in the past and we will continue to do so as long as our winter survival rates allow. Some years, the number of nucs available is low whereas some years we have more we can sell.
Our queen rearing program is just beginning and we hope that queen sales will also increase as the years go on so local beekeepers can have a supply of queens when needed.
One of our most popular questions! We get stung a lot. Like, a lot a lot. We like to think of it as venom therapy; but all jokes aside, once it’s determined you aren’t allergic to stings they become less of a fear and more of just an annoyance, or side effect of the job. People often comment how we can beekeeping with no gloves, the truth is, once the bees are calm and know who you are they tend to leave you alone.