Hampton Park Honey

04/05/2025

It's opening day for beekeeping! The weather isn't good, but the bees ha e been ramping up for over a month now, and if I didn't manage them, I'd see a swarm or two by the end of the month. A mouse in my shed left me an unpleasant situation to deal with. But I also got to set up my high-tech hive today--remote monitoring!

03/16/2025

It was a good day to start assembly of one of two new hives. All equipment has a lifespan, and a couple of my oldest boxes need to be replaced. This year I purchased beeswax-dipped box panels for assembly: Not only do they look better with the natural-wood look, but they are also naturally waterproofed so that they don't need to be painted. A few foraging bees couldn't resist the wax scent and had to check out what I was doing on the driveway.

02/13/2025

Not much active beekeeping going on in February, but look what came in the mail today! I'll be stepping it up with technology when the weather warms up.

12/07/2024

This year I brought a larger supply of honey to the Christmas bazaar at St. Peter's Latvian Ev. Lutheran Church in Wood Dale--people are still scrambling for it! It looks like I won't have much left by the end of the day!

11/24/2024

Well, I have to make the disappointing announcement to my honey lovers that after today's orders of honey that I received, I'm out of stock for honey for the season--sort of. I still have jars of honey, but they are all reserved for an upcoming Christmas bazaar in early December. If I do not sell out, I will announce what I have left; any leftovers will be specific size jars rather than bulk honey that can be bottled to order. Thank you to everyone for all of your support this year! It often seems that my days are endless runs of "how many people will be upset at me today;" this little corner hobby, despite the fact that it always took me twice as long as expected to get any work done with the hives, always was rewarding because it brought smiles to people's faces every time they got their hands on one of their jars. I love bringing that joy to people, and your purchases support the health of my bees. I'll update you as to what happens after the Christmas bazaar!

10/31/2024

I'm excited to try something new this year for winterization of my hives! Beekeepers have tried all kinds of things to improve their colonies' winter survival, with variable success stories. But research can merge with innovation to come up with better ways of doing things. In this video, I'm unpacking a new product called the Hive Hugger, which will create "condensation hives" out of my double deep boxes. Video link here:

It's nice to pay attention to what goes on in research. Sure, beekeepers have wrapped their hives for years and years to try to help the bees stay warmer and...

09/08/2024

Here is what varroa mites look like on some drone brood that got torn open during a hive check. Appreciate their size relative to the size of the developing bees, and with the viruses they carry, it's no surprise to see how deadly they are.

Have you seen them? Varroa Mites.

09/02/2024

Fall is a big threat to honey bees. Right now, yellowjackets are circling the hives by the dozens, looking for an opportunity to raid them and decimate the honey reserves and even eating all the larvae to feed their own colonies. Entrance reducers are added to the bottom entrance to reduce the entrance to a small hole, which lets the bees defend their hive more effectively.

08/11/2024

Here I explain one of the threats my bees face during late summer and early fall.

Please, For compassion for all beekeepers, never EVER call a yellowjacket a bee! Yellowjackets are an enemy of honeybees, And this video explains one of the ...

07/18/2024

Playing lifeguard to a bee drowning in a pool of honey:

07/06/2024

It's happened! I've made my spring harvest! Local Romeoville, IL honey is now available, and for the 6th year in a row, I'm keeping the prices the same. Right now, I have available the following sizes:
10 ounce hexagon jar, pressure fit cork lid with built-in dipper $10
19 ounce hexagon jar, same cork lid with built-in dipper $20
2 pound queenline jar with metal screw-on lid $30

Sampler 2oz jars are not yet available, but are coming soon.

Message me for orders! I may not be the fastest with responses (you know, full-time work, volunteer work, and I haven't mastered texting while working bee hives), but I'll get to you as soon as I can. I accept cash, old-school checks, Paypal, and Zelle. I can deliver within Romeoville and Bolingbrook, or we can arrange for a drop box at my house in Romeoville if our schedules don't line up.

I hope you're enjoying your summer; enjoy some good local, raw, unfiltered honey as well!

06/05/2024

This bee nerd couldn't NOT buy this honey while visiting the Philippines. Tetragonula biroi is not a honey bee, but is common in this part of the world (tropical). It'll be interesting to taste when I return. It'll also be fun to research this bee a little more.

06/02/2024

Yep, even the tough athletes are all about the bees!

After reportedly meeting with the King in private last month, David Beckham is now an official supporter of the King's Foundation and said he discussed beekeeping with the monarch.

04/27/2024

This is what's happening with my apiary in late April in Illinois. This is the month where each colony is ramping up its population like gangbusters! The idea is to create as many foragers as possible for the first nectar flow, which usually goes from May to late June. This year, everything is blooming three weeks early, so nectar is already everywhere.

I haven't been good about posting, but I want to start getting you updates on how my apiary progress is going! The more progress, the more chances of a sprin...

04/17/2024

It was a great pleasure to present "Introduction to Beekeeping" last night at the White Oak Library District Romeoville branch last night. Special thanks to Keith from the Will County Beekeepers Association for loaning the observation hive and some of the presentation materials! It was a joy to see so many enthusiastic attendees, including kids. Maybe there will be some new budding beekeepers out there in the near future!

03/16/2024

Yaaaa! The new honey extractor has arrived!

03/10/2024

I really need to move a hive over to another spot in the yard. Is it as straightforward as it sounds? Not really. Watch--

03/02/2024

Well, that's it for the season! I have just sold my last three jars of honey. I have appreciated your support so much this whole winter season! Now it's time for me to build up my colonies so that I can have as early of a 2024 harvest as possible. It will be very interesting to see what happens with the flora being one month ahead of schedule after an all-time record warmest winter in this area. I'll start posting about how my bees are doing as I begin hive management after mid-March. If you ever have any questions for me, feel free to message me or post on this page. I know that many of you love to learn about bees!