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The
decline of the honey bee population has been a subject of serious
discussion and concern around the world for the last several years.
Through a joint effort with the community we hope to help rescue,
restore, and rebuild at least some of the bee population, as well as
help educate others about the importance of these unique and much needed
creatures. Our goal is to offer assistance to anyone wanting to get
involved in the age old art of beekeeping by providing the basics needed
to get started. |
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Listed below are the honey bee related
products and services we offer to help keep existing bees from becoming
statistics and also help those with crops in need of pollination, satisfy
their needs safely and effectively. By educating the public, helping
newcomers get started in beekeeping, offering pollinating services where
they are needed, providing bees and supplies for beginners as well as
experienced beekeepers, we hope to contribute by doing our part to keep the
beloved honey bees off the extinction lists. We are developing a
Beekeepers Mentor Network to facilitate the process of making adequate
educational development accessible to everyone. |
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"Through education and observation, the
gratification of understanding can be achieved." GD |
Honey Bees For Sale or Lease
- Nucs, Colonies and Queen Bees
Are you or someone you know wanting to keep bees or add to your current
apiary? We offer honey bees of a gentle nature and top quality genetics.
Depending on the season and what we have in stock, we offer a variety of options
including starter Nucs (colony nucleus), full colonies and queens when
available. Please visit our Honey Bees For Sale page for prices, options and availability.
Ask about our lease options for community garden pollination and Agricultural Valuation aka Ag Exemption purposes.
(more below)
Beekeeping Basics
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Group and Private Classes
We offer group classes that provide the basic information and instructions needed to
get started in beekeeping. Honeybees 101 for
adults and youth as well. Bees can be fun for the entire family to experience and
enjoy. Come out to pick up your hives and stay for an afternoon of gleanings
in beekeeping, as they say, with a member of the Master Beekeeper Program of
Texas including a Q & A segment as well as hands on segment
over an active hive - where you will learn to identify the various makings of
the hive, including locating the queen and finding her eggs as well as learning
first hand the difference in sealed and unsealed brood and capped honey, nectar
and pollen.
Visit our Educational (Information & Resources Pages) for
an overview of the "Basic" information we cover in the class.
Advanced and private lessons are by appointment only.
Beekeeping Gear
- Hives, Tools & Supplies
We offer a full line of Beekeeping Supplies. From basic Bee Hive
Sets to full
Apiary Starter Kits to
Individual Hive Parts,
Clothing & Protective Gear,
Feeders, to the Tools
& Accessories needed, we are here to help. The standard 10 Frame Langstroth
style hives are the most common, so that is what we recommend and use in our own
yards. These are the type we have most readily available, but we also offer the
Langstroth 8 frame equipment if needed. We keep
the most of the basics in stock, but for large orders we may require time to
fabricate and / or treat raw woodenware to protect it from the elements.
Please Note: Beekeeping Supplies and Bees are Local Pickup
and by Appointment Only - We are a bee farm and work our bees at more
than one location. We do not have a store for "walk in shopping", therefore all
equipment and bee pickups are on scheduled pickup dates or by appointment only.
Thanks for understanding.
Pollination Services
- What's in your Crops?
The bulk of the world's crops require
pollination by pollinating insects such as honey bees, some birds and even
bats. Many crops benefit and produce at a much higher rate when honey bees
are introduced to the fields when the crops are in bloom. We understand this
need by fellow farmers, but we also value our bees, so only offer
Pollination Services to chemical
conscious farmers. Anyone requesting our bee pollination services must be
operating a pesticide free environment and sign a contract agreeing to meet
this requirement. Meaning, if and when chemicals are to be used on the farms
around or near the bee yards, ample notice will be given so the bees can be
protected.
Pure Honey - We offer a variety of pure golden
sweetness
As the bees gather the nectar from
the wildflowers, the clover, or the mesquites and even the highly sought after
huajilla blooms, they all offer their unique flavors and colors in the honey
they produce. Some say the huajilla honey actually has healing properties.
We have bees in more than one area, so when the weather allows the bees to
produce an excess, then we offer "local honey" in bulk from multiple
areas. Contact Us to find out what we currently have available.
Agriculture Valuation
aka "Ag Exemption" - Hive Leasing Services
For those that do not care to
become beekeepers, but want to have bees on their property to service the
community and save on property taxes, we can help. We lease our hives to land
owners needing pollination bees on
their property to qualify for tax breaks. These are hives that are there to pollinate the crops, gardens, flowers and trees in the area
for the entire community. With this service, we do everything from the initial set-up of the apiary and
place the
hives in a suitable location out of the way of normal foot traffic and pets
on the customer's property. We then manage the hives for the required time period
their county requires to qualify for the ag value on the land. We charge an annual fee based in part on
mileage to the property from our location. We have a simple maintenance
agreement that the property owner can attach to the application to the appraisal
district for the initial Ag Valuation or conversion from a different type of ag use on the land. Such as
raising goats, cattle, or even hay production. Visit the
Agricultural Exemption - with Honey Bees
page or Contact Us for more details.
Apitherapy
- Bees for Bee Venom Therapy (BVT)
There are countless health issues that
are being treated with the use of the beloved honey bees. These range from
Arthritis to Lyme Disease and have been helpful for many years. Small
quantities of BVT Bees can be purchased for using in treatments. Please use the
Contact Us page to inquire about custom size
orders. For more information on BVT, visit our
Apitherapy Information page.
We are registered with and permitted by
the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. We service south, central and parts of east Texas and
will consider other areas as well. Contact Us or click
the links below for more information and to see
photos galleries and bee supply options. References and current health
certificates available.
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