Become A Beekeeper For An Afternoon With Our Open Hive Tour
A 1-1/2 hour hive tour and introduction to honey bees kept here in Birmingham, AL. This class is perfect for the person who is interested in beekeeping or wants to get an up-close and personal look at how bees work.
We promise you will walk away with a once-in-a-lifetime experience and will thoroughly enjoy your time with the bees. Your guide is an experienced beekeeper who will show you through lighting a smoker, opening the hive properly, and how bees organize their nest.
During the tour, you will suit up and experience honey bees first hand; taste honey straight from the hive and get a glimpse into the industrious, secret lives of honeybees. You will get to hold and remove frames from their hive and play a real-life "Queen Spotting" game.
Each Tour is at our beekeeping store in Downtown Birmingham with our hives on site. Classes are kept to 12 people so everyone can get a chance to participate. We are able to do large groups if necessary.
Towards the end of the class, we will get to taste the honey we pull from the hive as well as a variety of other kinds of honey we have on hand.
Guided tours include protective gear and beverages to cool off with.
This class is designed for everyone. If you would like to bring your own group of friends or a kids group together, that is perfectly fine. Just reach out to us and we will organize the time.
Details
Arrive a few minutes early at the store so you can get waivers signed and get ready. Tours are weather dependent and we cannot open hives in the rain or when inclement weather is pressing. Bees are temperature sensitive, so we don't open the hives when temperatures are below 55°.
What To Bring
We will have a variety of protective gear available for everyone on the tour. Most beekeepers wear gloves, protective jackets, and veils when working their bees. You will be pleasantly surprised how gently a colony of bees is when opened by an expert beekeeper.
Even with protective gear, it's important to prepare well.
- Wear long pants that cover your ankles like khakis or blue jeans. Loose pants are better than tight pants. Yoga pants are not a good option. Lighter colors are better than dark colors, so please do not wear black pants.
- Bees are sensitive to smells and some perfumes or fragrances can bother them. So please avoid those prior to coming to the tour.
- Closed-toed shoes are required. Flip flops, sandals, and anything like that cannot be worn while working with bees. Don't forget, bees have stingers and bee boxes can hurt if dropped on a toe. Wear shoes that cover that whole foot like tennis shoes or boots.
We have been running these tours for years and always have a good time. It is more fun for you and the guide when everyone is comfortable and this starts with coming prepared.
If you are wanting to bring your own group of 10 or would like a private tour or class, please contact us and we can organize a special tour.
