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*Currently Accepting Orders for 2023 Harvest*
Berks Bees provides Handcrafted Raw Honey that we harvest from the late Spring to early Fall accentuating the seasonal differences in nectar sources around Berks County, Pennsylvania. The resulting honey ranges from a very smooth and mild "Blonde" honey in the Spring from our local locust trees, to a rich "Dark" honey in the late Summer and early Fall from Japanese knotweed, goldenrod, and various wildflowers.
We are a small family business that takes great pride in facilitating the creation of a deliciously sweet product. Our honey is handled with great care to preserve the beneficial enzymes and nutrients inherent to raw, unheated and unfiltered honey.
Our hives are treatment free and rely on the natural adaptability of the honey bee through our extensive queen rearing and colony management to overcome any pests and diseases. By raising our own queens multiple times throughout the season, we are able expand our colonies, select for the best hive traits, and maximize honey production.
Raw Wildflower Honey (Blonde)
Raw Wildflower Honey (Blonde)
Our Spring and Early Summer honey is light and clear, and gently strained to remove the wax and any stray bee parts, while preserving enzymes and beneficial nutrients
Sold in 16 oz glass jars for $15. (save the jar for $1 credit on future purchases)
Pre-order for 2023. Contact us to pre-order.
Raw Wildflower Honey (mid Summer)
Raw Wildflower Honey (mid Summer)
Our mid Summer honey is various tones of amber, and gently strained to remove the wax and any stray bee parts, while preserving enzymes and beneficial nutrients
Sold in 16 oz glass jars for $15. (save the jar for $1 credit on future purchases)
Available now. Contact us to order.
Raw Wildflower Honey (Dark)
Raw Wildflower Honey (Dark)
Our late Summer honey is rich and flavorful, and gently strained to remove the wax and any stray bee parts, while preserving enzymes and beneficial nutrients
Sold in 16 oz glass jars for $15. (save the jar for $1 credit on future purchases)
Available now. Contact us to order.
Berks Bees, The Origin...
Berks Bees, The Origin...
It all began with gardening really. My wife and I live in Wyomissing, PA and have a small <1/4 acre property. Since 2011 we have tried to maximize the diversity of the veggies, herbs, fruits and flowers we grow and harvest from our small backyard.
Around 2013/2014 we thought it might be cool to have honey bees so I did a little research, read a book, and bought some initial equipment. But then life got a little busy and the equipment actually sat up in our attic for a couple of years unopened and still in the original shipping boxes. In late 2015 I decided that I needed to just give it a try and see how things would go. I took a beginner beekeeper class in Lancaster and then ordered my first bees in early 2016.
"They" tell you not to harvest any honey the first year but who really listens to that. I was so excited to taste some extremely local honey that I harvested just a small amount in the fall of 2016 and it was the darkest honey I have ever seen. And it was delicious!
2017 brought an amazing Spring and early Summer honey crop of nearly 150 lbs from the 2 hives. But then sadly I lost both hives over the winter heading into 2018.
Intrigued by the bees and determined to hone the beekeeping craft, I dug deep into the literature (i.e. Google and Youtube) and was determined to rebuild during the summer of 2018. I successfully overwintered 2 strong colonies and 2019 is looking very promising as I have been busy building my own hive bodies and frames, and learning about colony expansion, queen rearing and treatment free beekeeping.
--Jordan, Berks Bees, Wyomissing, PA
2020 Update (July 8)
2020 Update (July 8)
We started this year with 9 surviving hives coming out of winter. With a mild winter blooms were early in advancing and the bees were building up strong brood nests but the weather stalled in early-mid April which actually pushed most of the nectar flows back a week or so starting with Black Locust bloom and also the Basswood bloom as compared with 2019. Our first round of hive splits and expansions were mostly successful and with the next 2 rounds we are currently up to 18 close to full size hives, 8 small nucleus hives and we currently have 10 mating hives in progress with additional mating hives planned to be established for the rest of July on a 9 day cycle. Our season goal is to end with about 30 full size hives and a handful of small nucleus hives to attempt to overwinter successfully.
Our first round of honey harvesting was a nice light blonde and sweet honey on July 6th with a 47 pound yield.
--Jordan
2019 Update (rev. 10/28/2019)
2019 Update (rev. 10/28/2019)
We started this year with 2 surviving colonies from 2018. Through various methods of colony increase, including cell grafting and On The Spot notching and splits, we have increased to a total of 14 hives as of early September 2019 without purchasing any new bees. We also gratefully harvested 145 lbs of delicious honey throughout the season.
We may need to combine a few smaller colonies to increase their odds of making it through the Winter and will provide a final colony count this Fall as well as a final harvest amount.
--October 2019 update. We are closing the year with a total of 9 strong hives and our final harvest amount is 154 lbs.--
--Jordan
Contact Info
Contact Info
Call or Text. 484-794-5501 (Jordan Scroble)
Email. berksbees@gmail.com
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