How to Adopt a Beehive
Do you want to help bees without becoming a beekeeper yourself? One of the best ways to do that is by adopting a beehive. By doing so, you can help honeybees and also support the beekeepers who care for them.
What is the Adopt a Beehive Program?
Many apiaries participate in an adopt a beehive program. The specifics of the program can differ, but they all work similarly. How it works is you pay an adoption fee to the apiary of your choice. The beekeeper will use that money to care for your beehive. In return, you will receive different gifts, depending on the apiary.
Usually you will get a certificate of adoption, photos of your adopted beehive, and best of all – fresh honey. Some apiaries include other goodies such as wildflower seeds, beeswax candles, books, and t-shirts.
The adopt a beehive program has been instrumental in helping beekeepers all over the country maintain and grow their apiaries.
Benefits of Adopting a Beehive
- Help protect bees. Adopting a beehive is the best way to help honeybees without becoming a beekeeper yourself.
- Support beekeepers. Being a beekeeper is hard work – and there is no guarantee that they make a profit, or even enough to cover expenses. By adopting beehives, you provide beekeepers with necessary funds to keep their apiary running.
- Get fresh honey. One of the perks of adopting a beehive is that you get to enjoy fresh honey from the apiary you are supporting.
- Adopting a beehive makes a great gift for bee lovers. There’s no doubt that having a beehive adopted in their name would be a wonderful surprise for many people.
- Increased pollination. 1 in every 3 bites of food we eat is a result of pollination. When you adopt a beehive you are helping to increase pollination. Some apiaries will even let you host a hive at your home. In that case, you can get the benefits of pollination in your own garden.
How to Adopt a Beehive
The first step in adopting a beehive is to choose the apiary you would like to work with. Not all apiaries have this program, so it’s a good idea to do a little research first. You can choose an apiary that is close to you, but that isn’t necessary. Many apiaries are more than happy to accommodate adoptions from out of state.
After choosing the apiary, the process of adopting a beehive is simple. Most apiaries have all of their forms and payment process online. They do not need a lot of information, usually just your name and address to be used to ship your certificate and honey.
That’s it! From there, the beekeeper will take over and do what they do best – take care of the bees. The adoption fees are usually good for one year, and they will notify you when your honey is ready to be shipped or picked up.
Links to Adopt a Beehive by State
If you would like to add your apiary to this list, contact us at completebeehives@gmail.com.
Adopt a Beehive in California
Bee Rooted is registered with San Bernardino County and performs chemical free and humane live bee removals in San Bernardino County, north Riverside County, and west Los Angeles County. They use foundation free frames and do not use any synthetic chemicals in their hives.
They have several different sponsorship packages to choose from. Their Sticky Friend level gets you a canvas print of the bees, 40 oz of raw honey, your name added to their apiary fencing, an adoption certificate, and periodic updates on the hives.
Learn More About Bee Rooted Here
Adopt a Beehive in Colorado
Frangiosa Farms is located in Parker, Colorado. They focus on natural and sustainable beekeeping practices, using only essential oils and organic methods to treat their hives. Frangiosa Farms currently have approximately 100 hives on or near their farm.
Their adopt a honey bee program has 4 different levels. With your donation you will get a certificate and fresh honey.
Learn More About Frangiosa Farms
Adopt a Beehive in Florida
Bee Friends Farm was started in 2013 and has quickly become one of North Florida’s premium honey producers. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida and move their hives throughout the state depending on what plants are in season.
When you adopt a honey bee hive with Bee Friends Farm you receive a variety of goodies, based on the tier you choose. For example, the BFF Hive Supporter tier includes a personalized letter, certificate, wildflower seed packet, orange blossom honey sticks, trio sample box of honey, and a hand poured beeswax candle.
Learn More About Bee Friends Farm
Adopt a Beehive in Hawaii
Hamakua Apiaries, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, gives you a chance to adopt a Hawaiian beehive. The honey produced at Hamakua Apiaries is unique due to their bee yards across the island, as well as their year round nectar flow. The types of honey produced there are Varietal Wild Flower Honey, Ohia Lehua Honey, Macadamia Nut Honey, and Christmas Berry Honey.
The Adopt a Hawaiian Beehive program pays for equipment to start a new hive and to train and educate new beekeepers. When you participate in the program you will receive a quarterly delivery of honey, a beeswax candle, a certificate and chance to name your hive, and an invitation to meet your bees at the apiary.
Learn More about Hamakua Apiary
Hānai Hives is located on the island of Oahu. The Hawaiian word, hānai, means adopt, and that’s exactly what this apiary does. They have 4 different adoption or hosting packages to choose from.
You can either adopt or host a hive at their apiary, or you can adopt or host a hive at your own location. The cool thing about these packages is that they all include professional beekeeping lessons. This would be a great experience for someone wanting to learn more about beekeeping.
Adopt a Beehive in Indiana
Tulip Tree Apiaries is a community supported apiary in Northeast Indiana. They have a really unique adopt a beehive program that is more hands on than others.
If you choose to Name a Frame, they will send you a frame which you can write your name and message on. The frame will then be placed back with the bees. The Build a Bee Box option allows you to assemble and paint your own medium super. The box is then placed with an active colony. It’s a great project to do as a family. Lastly, the Contribute a Colony option allows you to donate one complete hive kit to start a new colony.
Learn More About Tulip Tree Honey Bees
Adopt a Beehive in Kentucky
HoneyBear Farms is located in Louisville, Kentucky. They have a full service beekeeping store, and offer mentoring and beekeeping classes.
The HoneyBear Farms adopt a beehive program has 3 different tiers to choose from. The Queen Bee tier gets you 20 lbs of honey and free access to all of their beekeeping classes. You even get the opportunity to help with hive maintenance.
Learn More About HoneyBear Farms
Adopt a Beehive in Maryland
BannerBee Company is home to award winning honey. They use organic and sustainable management practices. BannerBee honey is antibiotic free, chemical free, and managed on certified organic farms.
When you adopt a beehive with Banner Bees you get an official certificate, an email newsletter, 3 jars of raw honey, a honey dipper, and a set of beeswax candles. Furthermore, 10% of all fees are donated to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, which is used to pay the salaries of state apiary inspectors.
Learn More About BannerBee Company
Adopt a Beehive in Massachusetts
Beverly Bees, of Salem, Massachusetts, has a different take on adopting a beehive. Instead, they allow you to host a honey bee hive.
If you are interested in learning how to become a beekeeper, this is for you. All you need to do is provide a safe, pesticide free location, and Beverly Bees will bring the hive and bees. You’ll get to reap the rewards of pollination, and get 2 jars of honey at the end of the season.
Adopt a Beehive in New Hampshire
When you adopt a beehive with SeaBee Honey, they will provide all of the equipment and bees and place the hive in one of the New Hampshire apiaries. You also get to place your logo on the hive, get a video update on the hive, and a portion of the honey produced.
Adopt a Beehive in New Jersey
Birds and Bees Farm is located in Columbus, New Jersey. They have 2 different programs. You can either adopt a hive or rent a hive. By adopting a beehive you receive a set of beeswax candles, 3 lbs of honey, and an opportunity to view and inspect your hive.
If you choose to rent a beehive, all of the bees and equipment are brought to your property. A trained beekeeper will come to do maintenance on the hive, as well as give you beekeeping lessons. Eventually you will be able to maintain the hive on your own. At the end of the season, you will get 3 lbs of honey from your own hive.
Learn More About Birds and Bees Farm
Host a Beehive in North Carolina
Every March, Garden Supply Company starts new beehives in their apiary and if you join their host a hive program, you can be a part of it. The cool thing about their program is that you get to customize the hive yourself. Pick up the hive at their store and take it home to decorate as you wish. Then, you return the hive and they’ll get it all set up.
You’ll get updates on the hive throughout the season and can also visit the hive by appointment. In October you’ll be rewarded with 10 lbs of honey and the opportunity to take your bees and hive home if you wish.
Learn More About Garden Supply Company
Adopt a Beehive in South Dakota
Honey Lodge is created and operated by the Youth Entrepreneurs of Bear Horse Thunder Society on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota. They teach Lakota youth how to live sustainably on their ancestral homelands.
To fund their project, they sell 100% pure, raw honey and also utilize an adopt a hive program. For a small monthly fee you can adopt a hive at Honey Lodge and help the bees while supporting Lakota youth.
Learn More about Lakota Honey Lodge
Adopt a Beehive in Texas
Bee Friendly Austin is a Texas Honey Bee Farm that sells beekeeping products, equipment, honey, and offers classes. Their goal is to provide the best education, the highest quality equipment, and superior, mite resistant, bee stock to help save the bees.
When you adopt a hive with Bee Friendly Austin, you are helping student beekeepers learn valuable skills and protecting local honey bees. You also get your own artisan honey, and an invitation to apiary open house days.
Learn More About Bee Friendly Austin
Bee Mindful is unique in that you can adopt a rescued hive in the US, adopt a family hive in the Republic of Congo, or pay for beekeeping training in the Republic of Congo. According to Bee Mindful, “When you adopt a hive from a natural, mindful beekeeper, you provide tangible support to a live colony of honey bees and help safeguard them for future generations.”
If you adopt a rescued hive in the US, it will be in Austin Texas. By adopting a family hive in Congo, Bee Mindful will provide a family with a beehive in order to generate revenue for his or her family. You can also donate beekeeping training to a family in need.
Adopt a Beehive in Virginia
Valley View Farm, located in Northern Piedmont of Virginia, is dedicated to help save honeybee populations and educate the public about colony collapse. When you adopt a hive at Valley View farm, you are not only helping pollinators, you are also supporting pollinator education.
All adopted hives are kept in Valley View’s apiary and the adopter gets several gifts in return. Depending on the tier you choose, you will get your name placed on the hive, a hive photo, t-shirt, honey and a tour of the apiary.
Learn More about Valley View Farm
Summary
When you adopt a beehive you are helping honey bees and supporting beekeepers. In return, you will usually receive goodies, such as fresh honey and beeswax candles. It’s a great way to support pollinators without becoming a beekeeper yourself.
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