Papa Bear's Honey & Hives

08/21/2026

Why do bees beard:

Temperature Control: High outdoor temperatures make the inside of the hive too warm.
Reducing Crowded Space: Moving outside clears room so air can flow freely over the brood.
Fanning: Worker bees stand near the entrance and beat their wings to push fresh air inside.
High Population: Evening hours often bring more bees home, increasing tight squeezes.

08/18/2026

Fermented Garlic Honey

One of Our Favorite Homemade Remedies! Every year, I set aside a jar of our honey to make fermented garlic honey. It’s something we’ve been making and using in our home for a few years, and I thought I’d share it with all of you!

Now, let me start with a little disclaimer: We are NOT doctors, and this post is not intended to provide medical advice or replace advice from your healthcare provider. I’m simply sharing how we make it, how we personally use it, and our own experience with it.

You know that feeling when you wake up and think, “I’m not sick, but I sure don’t feel great…”? That’s when I reach for our garlic honey. I’ll usually take a spoonful throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll eat a clove of the garlic right along with the honey. I also take a spoonful every day when I feel great. For us, it has become one of those simple little things we like to have on hand during cold and flu season. While I can’t promise what it will do for you, we’ve personally had some really good results and experiences with it and love having a jar in our refrigerator. Fermented garlic honey takes a few weeks to develop, so if you want to make a batch for the upcoming cold and flu season, now is a great time to get started. I’ll add a link below with the recipe and additional information so you can learn more about how to make it yourself.

A jar of Papa Bear’s honey, a few cloves of garlic, and a little patience and you’ll have your own homemade garlic honey!

Have you ever tried fermented garlic honey? Tell us how you use yours!

This fermented honey garlic is easy to make and great to have on hand for cold and flu season. It's also just plain delicious!

08/15/2026

Today is World Honey Bee Day! 🐝 This began in 2009 as National Honey Bee Day and later grew into a worldwide awareness.

08/14/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟭𝟬 𝗷𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿...
..and not a single one tastes exactly the same.

Most people think honey is just...Honey.

But beekeepers know better.

𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗩𝗘
𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘?

The short answer?

Hundreds.
Maybe thousands

It all depends on how specific you want to be.

Honey isn't defined by the bees,
It's defined by the flowers they visit.

Every nectar source brings something different to the jar.

Some of the best-known varieties include:
• Clover, light and mild
• Orange Blossom, sweet with citrus notes
• Buckwheat, dark, bold and rich
• Tupelo, buttery and slow to crystallize
• Sourwood, smooth with caramel notes
• Wildflower, a blend that changes with every season

And that's just scratching the surface.

Then there are local, multi-floral honeys.

Instead of visiting one major flower source, the bees gather nectar from whatever is blooming around them.

Trees.
Wildflowers.
Gardens.
Native plants.
Roadside flowers.
Weeds.

Every landscape creates its own unique recipe.

That's why one jar of local honey can taste completely different from the next, even if it came from the very same beekeeper.

Rain changes it.
Drought changes it.
The seasons change it.
The flowers change it.

The bees simply work with what nature provides.

That's one of the things we love most about local honey.

It's never trying to be identical.

Every harvest is a snapshot of that place, that season and that year.

No factory can truly duplicate that.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻
Honey isn't just something sweet ... it's a story.

A story written by flowers, weather, soil, seasons and thousands of hardworking bees.

That's what makes every jar unique.

And that's why we never get tired of tasting a new harvest 🍯🐝

08/11/2026

08/10/2026

"South Your Mouth" is one of my favorite food blogs. Her recipe for Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken is one of our favorite dinners.

08/10/2026

Spring time swarm control & growing the apiary. Good informative how to video 🐝

08/10/2026

Let’s play a game of find the Queen Bee! Answer is in the comments. Let us know if you find her.

Some interesting facts about the queen honeybee:

*She is the largest bee in the hive.

*She is the only reproductive female in the hive and can lay up to 2000 eggs per day.

*They are not born queens but are fed royal jelly and other nutrients that trigger her development into a queen.

*She is the reason the hive exists. Without a queen, the hive can’t reproduce.

08/10/2026

🐝 Welcome to Papa Bear’s Honey & Hives! 🍯

What started in 2022 with Chris purchasing just two hives has grown into eleven hives and a whole lot of love for honeybees! Our first harvest produced enough honey for our family and a few friends. Today, we harvest our honey at least once a year—and sometimes twice and we’re excited to share our beekeeping journey with you. Beekeeping and honey harvesting is truly a team effort. We are blessed to have some great friends who jump in and help when it’s time to harvest. Their extra hands make a big difference!
And then there’s Amy. She prefers to keep a respectful distance from the bees after being stung a few too many times! But she’s happy to help with everything that happens after the bees are done with their part. She helps with harvesting, bottling, labeling, pictures, technology, and keeping things organized behind the scenes.

This page is a place to:
*Follow along with our hives and beekeeping adventures
*Learn ways you can help protect honeybees
*Find delicious recipes using our honey
*See when our honey is available
*Learn about future honey and beeswax products
*Enjoy pictures and updates from our hives

Most importantly, we want to share our love and appreciation for these amazing little creatures that do so much for our world. Have a question about bees, honey, or beekeeping? Ask away! We’re happy to share what we’ve learned along the way.
Thanks for following Papa Bear’s Honey & Hives and supporting our little family beekeeping adventure! 🐝