BEEKEEPER and BEEHIVE RENTALS
Have you ever wanted to keep bees but didn't know where to start? Then this could be a program made just for you. We provide you with everything you need: Bees, Hive Equipment and Management for the season. After the season is over the hive can be yours if you choose.
Beekeeping is a rewarding and fun way to interact with the environment and some of its most industrious and interesting creatures. However, beekeeping can also be intimidating. The logistics and skills necessary to keep bees alive are complex. Having a place to safely store equipment and the time to maintain hives year-round is a daunting responsibility. While every beekeeper undoubtedly has good intentions, many novices lose their bees over winter. That's where our beekeeper and beehive rentals may make sense. Rent bees from us and let our experienced beekeepers do the work for you at your home, garden or hobby farm setting.
Rental Service: We supply and maintain any number of healthy hives of honeybees. This includes a complete hive (queen, workers, drones, and brood) and any honey supers they need. Should the queen fail or swarm we will replace her with a new queen.
We service the hives on a monthly basis or more often if needed, and we encourage your participation during hive inspections. It can be a great learning experience for the whole family. We harvest the honey from time to time as the hive requires. Your participation can be as minimal as admiring your hive from a distance or as involved as inspecting the inside of your hive as often as you like.
As a honey crop is produced, (typically varying from 40-100 pounds seasonally), we will harvest and bottle the honey for you (up to 50 pounds). It is your honey. We will guarantee you 25 pounds. Not all hives produce surplus honey. If your hive produces more than 50 pounds, and you want more, we charge a small bottling fee.
Custom packaging is also available! This would include select jar type and labels. Inquire for pricing.
The typical rental season is early May through mid September. In late September we move hives to our Apiary for overwintering. If however, by this point you feel comfortable with your bees, we will suggest some overwintering strategies and you will be off and running as a beekeeper.
You provide: A location for the hives approved by My Bee Supply. We recommend if you want to work the hive that you purchase protective gear, a smoker and hive tool. A second hive can be included for an additional $800.