Mission: The purpose of this apiary is to provide beekeepers with a safe, educational and community based location to practice the art and craft of beekeeping.

Overview: Masterson’s Garden Center Inc. will offer hive space, beekeeping materials, and honey bee colonies for aspiring beekeepers within the community apiary. There will be several package options to suit each member’s needs. Advantages to beekeeping via this program will include access to beekeeping materials on site, access to knowledgeable and experienced beekeepers on site, and learning with other beekeepers in the community. Any materials harvested from member colonies will be combined in a community fashion and redistributed evenly among community apiary members in the fall. All members of this program will have access to our honey harvesting equipment during the Honey Harvest Festival at end of the beekeeping season. The lease of hive space, equipment or bees will be good for one beekeeping season from spring to fall.

Educational & Experience Requirements

Members of the community apiary are not required to have beekeeping experience with their own hives, but are required to have a basic understanding of beekeeping and a willingness to learn. Members without any hands-on beekeeping experience will be required to complete our “Hive Inspection” and “Hive Health” classes. Classes will be free of charge to community apiary members.

Member Expectations

Beekeepers participating in this community apiary are expected to follow basic beekeeping guidelines and respect the community nature of the program. This includes but is not limited to regular hive inspections (biweekly or close to), regulating varroa mite levels and maintaining the overall health of the colony. A hive log will be provided to each member and must be filled out after hive inspections so that our beekeepers can better assist you in your hive management. We expect members to respect the equipment, the bees, and the other beekeepers in the program. Masterson’s reserves the right to terminate participation in the program if these requirements are not met.

Accessibility

The community apiary will be open during all regular business hours posted on our website. Summer hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. If a member wishes to work with their hives before or after regular business hours, we are happy to accommodate, but Masterson’s must be notified prior to the visit or inspection. We will have designated parking areas for members within the program for ease of inspection and accessibility.

Hive Health Compliance

The health of one hive in a community apiary can directly affect the health of the other hives in the apiary. Therefore, it is critical to perform regular inspections and maintain good health in all colonies. Masterson’s reserves the right to inspect for mite populations and general hive health at any point throughout the beekeeping season, and to administer corrective action if need be. This will be done in conjunction with, and at the expense of, the hive lessee. We will provide each member with a recommended mite treatment protocol as a guideline. Members may choose alternative options so long as colony mite counts remain below our required threshold.

Visitors

Beekeeping is fun, interesting and an awesome experience. Members are encouraged to share this experience with other beekeepers or interested family and friends. Masterson’s requires a waiver of liability for all persons within the apiary and must therefore request notice of visitors prior to their first visit.

Community Apiary Package Options

$75 Drone Package: As the drone’s role within the hive is not much, that will be our role in this package. Members who choose this package are provided a hive location with a stable base/stand within the community apiary. This allows you to choose whatever style of hive, species of honey bee and source of beekeeping materials that you prefer.

$275 Worker Package: The Worker Package includes a hive location with a stable base/stand, an unpopulated Langstroth hive setup with access to any additional hive components and beekeeping tools needed throughout the season. This allows you to choose whatever species and source of honeybees that you prefer.

$450 Queen Bee Package: The Queen Bee Package will include all the benefits of the worker package, with the addition of a honey bee colony. Members with this package will start the season with a hive location including a stable base/stand, a populated hive and access to any additional hive components and beekeeping tools needed throughout the season.

Accessible Beekeeping Supplies in the Worker and Queen Bee Packages: Bottom Boards, Varroa Screens, Slat Boards, Deep Hive Bodies/Brood Chambers, Medium Honey Supers, Plastic Frames/Foundation, Inner Covers, Top Covers, Queen Excluders, In-Hive Feeders, Hive Top Feeders, Hive Tools, Smoker and Smoker Fuel. Beekeeping hive components and tools must remain on the property at all times.

Packages will not include: Protective Gear such as a suit or jacket, gloves, supplemental feed such as sugar water, miticides or other necessary treatments.

How to Become a Member

If you or your group are interested in becoming members of the Community Apiary, please take a few moments to fill out the application form. Membership is open to anyone that is excited and willing to learn as part of this project. Any questions? Please direct them to Dan or Erin and we’d be happy to chat more.

2024 APPLICATIONS - ALL SPACES FILLED FOR THIS SEASON

FAQ’s

What if I want to do it again next year?
Successfully overwintering a colony is always a primary goal of the beekeeper. If your bees make it through the winter and you’d like to pick up where you left off the following spring, the “Worker Package” will be the only financial requirement as we do not have to invest in a honeybee colony.

Can I do this with a friend or a group?
Absolutely! We encourage you to get your friends and family involved. So if you’d like to split the cost with someone else who wants to get into beekeeping, please do.

Is there any guarantee if my bees don’t make it, or if I don’t get any honey?
Nope, this is the nature of beekeeping. Some years and some colonies are bountiful, some are not. If you are starting with the populated Queen Bee package, we will guarantee a healthy colony is put in your control at the beginning of the season. The rest is determined by your beekeeping methods and nature.

How much guidance will I get as a member of the Community Apiary?
We will be there to introduce you to your hive and show you proper hive inspection technique in the spring. Throughout the beekeeping season we offer classes that explain what you should be doing in your hives, some are hands on and some are a seminar format. We will welcome all community apiary members to these classes free of charge. Though we will not be in the apiary with you during your regular hive inspections, during store hours there is always a beekeeper on site that you can bounce questions off of when they’re available. Masterson’s has already become a large network of knowledgeable beekeepers including customers, friends and family members that like to hang out, talk and teach beekeeping. We will no doubt see involvement from some of these folks and schedule a few meetings throughout the season to network.

How is this different than the Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program?
Our Apprenticeship Program operated much more like a weekly “class,” during which participants helped with tasks in our apiary on our schedule. While it is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience, the Community Apiary experience will allow for much more flexibility in management of your hives. The other main difference is that at the end of the season, anything harvested from your hive is yours to keep or sell!