While out on a run in late 2013 we noticed a neighbor had a bee crossing sign on a tree in his yard. Lucky for us the neighbor was outside and we stopped to chat. He pointed us to a local bee supply shop. We soon stopped into the shop and talked to the owners, and we were instantly hooked! We bought our first hive, tools, and protective gear that day, as well as ordered our first package of bees.
We soon began tossing around ideas for a company name and logo. We decided on Urban Apis and formed our company at the end of 2013. So why the name Urban Apis? Well Urban means city and we started in the City of Kingston, NY. And Apis means bees, it’s the genus part of their scientific name. And since Tara has a background in biology, we knew we had to go with it. So essentially our name means city bees. Perfectly fitting, right. Then before our first package of bees even arrived we decided why not start with two hives instead of one. So back to the bee supply shop we went. Then in the spring of 2014 our bees finally arrived. We were as excited as kids on Christmas morning! Our first day was quite an adventure, Tara got stung and one of our queens was dead on arrival! Yes, dead!! The bee supply shop was awesome and provided us with another queen. That was just the beginning of our adventures in beekeeping! Shortly after we had a swarm of bees on the ground in front of the hives. Both of the hives were empty and we found a dead queen in one of the hives. Meanwhile, a live queen was in the puddle of bees on the ground. Jake found her and put her back in one of the hives. Within seconds all the other bees took to the air and started going back in the hive. What an amazing sight! But now one of our hives was completely empty! What to do?! Well once again the bee supply shop to the rescue! They provided us with yet another queen, and more bees (for a small fee). The rest of 2014 went relatively smooth, with the exception of Tara getting stung on the butt and a bee flying in her ear! Boy was that loud! In the fall of 2014 we made our first lip balm and began extracting honey in 2015. We also started a third hive in 2015. In 2022 we bought a beautiful stone house in Hurley, NY. We will be keeping the name Urban Apis although we will be located in Hurley, NY. So the Urban Apis bee yard will now be located at the Stone House Apiary ~ just bee-yond the city. Stay tuned and follow our page as our adventures continue!
