MN Manage Beehives-
Our Host a Hive Program
Our host a beehive program, started in MN & WI back in 2020 and we have grown our service to help homeowners, businesses, schools, and corporate campuses keep bees on their property. The rent-a-beehive program is simple...... You host the hive, we manage it, and you keep the honey!
Service Area in Minnesota
We service most of the Twin Cities and offer a 40-mile radius of Minneapolis/ St. paul. If you are located outside the area we may still service your area. Fill out our form to see if we are able to service your location. Or check out the terms of service.
List of Our Service Counties in MN
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Anoka County
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Carver County
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Dakota County
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Hennepin County
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Ramsey County
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Scott County
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Washington County
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Wright County
How Host a Hive Works
Residential Services
Expert Beekeeper
Assigned Beekeeper trained to manage treatment-free hives properly.
Manages colonies for friendly healthy honey bees.
Custom-designed hives are managed every 4-6 weeks during the season.
Custom Reports
Each visit will be followed up with a colony report.
Reports on what flowers and trees help local pollinators in your area.
Honey Harvesting
Each hive is guaranteed to yield 15 pounds of raw local honey*
*We may need to let the bees keep their own honey to stay healthy and in those rarer instances we will pull honey from another local honey with excess to fulfil the 15 pounds.
Site Analysis
Our honey bees are incredibly friendly and though we actively manage the hive for gentleness, special care is taken into account when deciding if a location is appropriate to have an active hive. Our site analysis takes all of this into account, as well as any local or state of Minnesota regulations on the placement of a beehive. In our initial analysis, we consider your goals as well as the safety of the environment and recommend a location that is appropriate and meets any local or MN laws. To see if your property qualifies fill out the assessment form.
Bees and Hive Installation
The state of MN has a wide fluctuation of temperature throughout the year, and we have custom-made hives that closely mimic a tree hollow's insulation value and air-flow helping make our bees healthier and survive conditions and hive situations others wouldn't. Once Spring or early Summer has arrived we will place the hive in a location that was agreed upon in our analysis and then place the colony of bees and their queen.
Beekeeper Visits and Inspections
On average, each hive will get inspected each month during the season based on its need and our management strategy. Each hive is unique and often is met with several challenges a year. In the case that new bees are needed we will provide whatever is needed to ensure a properly active hive. Our local MN beekeepers are friendly and always willing to answer questions regarding the hive(s) you are hosting.
Honey Harvest
At the end of each season, your beekeeper will prepare the hive you're hosting for the cold MN Winter and also remove any excess honey the bees collected over the season. We guarantee 15 pounds of raw local MN honey that we keep track of to make sure you are getting the honey from your hive* and we place that honey in custom smaller containers for you to enjoy or gift.
*There are rarer cases in which we cannot pull all 15 pounds off your hive to ensure bee health (it's their winter food) and in those cases, we pull excess honey from another local hive to fulfill the 15 pounds.
Why Host a Beehive in MN?
When you host one of our hives it helps strengthen the honey bees while they help pollinate your plants, trees, and shrubs while making that delicious local raw honey.
Help save the bees. Each hosted beehive helps increase the bee population. Up to 40% of bee colonies die each year from Colony Collapse Disorder (CDC).
Produce Local Honey. Around 70% of the honey in the USA is imported. Raw Honey is also known for its health benefits and is low on the glycemic index.
Bees are responsible for pollinating 1 out of 3 bites on your dinner plate. Without them we loose some of our favorite foods.
We raise treatment free bees, and focus on local beekeeping and never ship our bees off for pollination services.
Special Rules for Beekeeping in Minnesota
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The City has taken steps to allow beekeeping with some special specifications and requirements- See Minneapolis Beehive Rules