Our Services
Services Projected to Begin in 2025
Hood Brook Apiary is running a bit behind as we are slowly recovering from disastrous losses in our first year in Maine. We are catching up but it’s a slow process. With the help of friends, neighbors and the general public (people like you) we have made the decision to continue to fight to get back to, at least, where we started in the supper of 2021! 2022 was a serious struggle, 2023 a little less, and 2024we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Please Keep Donating! Click Here To Donate
As of now, the Services we will be offering are projected to start in 2025. All programs aren’t starting at the same time, so be sure to check their “Projected Start Dates” below.
Low Hanging Swarm Removal
Starting in May of 2025 Hood Brook Apiary will be offering low hanging Swarm Removal and Re-Homing. If you see a swarm of honeybees clustered together on a low branch, on your fence, gutter of your 1-story Home, your car mirror, bird bath, or any of the crazy places thy end up when they are searching for a new home, WHO YA’ GONNA CALL? Swarm Catchers!
Although mother nature can be unpredictable, generally a honeybee swarm, believe it or now, isn’t really dangerous as they have nothing to defend other than the queen. She usually hasn’t flown in yet or, if she has, is in the middle on the ball of bees. You’d have to be harassing the swarm for the to attack or sting. Call us and if we are unavailable, we will give you a few names of other beekeepers in your area is there are any available.
DO NOT SPRAY THEM WITH INSECT KILLER!
DO NOT SPRAY THEM WITH YOUR HOSE!
Do Not Throw Anything at them! This could very likely get you stung! A LOT! You can’t outrun them!
Just let them be bees and they will move along before you know it Even if no one can get right out to you, they shouldn’t bother you and they will move on in a few hours or at most, a day or two. Unless they are someplace you have to be, nature will help them find a home and they will move on.
Honey Extraction Services
We will start out by offering this service to small time or hobby beekeepers with 1 to 3 hives. Our extraction equipment is small and unable to handle numerous supers of honey. We uncap by hand single or double strain the honey to remove any wax capping’s that may be in the honey. (Though you can eat them!)
If you bring a 5-Gallon Food Grade Bucket & Cover or two, or you can buy them from us. Sometimes we have them with honey gates at the bottom to make life easier when bottling. Prices will be determined and listed here in the early spring.
A 10-Frame honey super averages 3 lbs. of honey +/- a little. A 5-Gal bucket generally holds about 60 lbs. of honey. This will give you an idea of what you will nee for Food Grade Buckets and Covers.
If you have a number of supers of honey, e-mail us and let us know and we can give you names and locations of another place we trust and use for other things regularly.
Honey Bottling Services
Hood Brook’s bottling service will be coming soon. We may or may not be ready for the 2025 honey season. Keep checking back here for updates.
Private & Semi-Private Bee School
Hood Brook Apiary & Learning Center’s “Bee School” may not be ready in time for the 2025 season. Please keep checking back.
We often seek volunteers on the weekends usually for a couple or three hours for hive inspections and other miscellaneous work here at the apiary. Especially with kids 12 to 18. Note: Kids under 18 need parental approval and kids under 14 have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You’ll receive FREE Personalized, Hands-On Bee School!
Generally, not more than 1 or two volunteers at a time until we get more suits. If you have a bee suit, that is a plus!