Join Us
2023 Rates
Invest in positive ecological change
Experiential, Educational, Environmental:
Enjoy the serenity of hosting a Honeybee Hive in your garden
Bay Beehives offers an all-inclusive approach to having beehives on your property; from installation of equipment, a thriving nucleus colony, all seasonal maintenance and the option of immersive, hands-on training.
You will own the bees, the equipment and the honey. Our included honey bundle promises you 3 Lbs of bottled honey from your hives to enjoy or share!
Your bees will be inspected 2-4 times per month during the season by a professional beekeeper.
Whether you want to learn a new hobby or simply host a hive, your participation is an impactful way to help boost the global bee population. Just two hives can pollinate 5-10 acres for thriving plants.
2023 Residential Pricing
Our mission is to provide as many healthy honeybee habitats as possible as well as share the joy and knowledge of beekeeping. The fees help cover our costs to get to your property as well as time for inspections.
10% of your purchase will directly fund our non-profit work dedicated to expanding bee habitats and education in underserved communities.
Limited availability. Please reserve your bees by April 12th (or before they run out).
Start-up Costs (Equipment + Nucleus Colony + Installation)
$1850(See below for complete list of what’s included)
Full season of Maintenance + Inspections
$325 per Month (May-October Only)Bees are inspected for overall colony health, queen vitality, pest maintenance, swarm prevention, honey harvesting and more…
Immersive Hands-On Training (optional)
$300 (One Time fee)This tailored training focuses on Beekeeping 101 through more advanced lessons of understanding bee biology and behavior. About 15 individual, hands-on lessons.
Each Additional Hive Maintenance + Training
Only +$50 a MonthOur biggest cost is travel to get to you. Since we’re already there, each additional hive maintenance is only $50 more a month.
Also take $300 off the start-up costs for each additional hive
Additional Costs – Hive Stand + protective gear
TBDHive stand can be DIY or pre-fab.
You can borrow our protective gear or purchase your own. TBD
2023 Promo – Refer a neighbor & receive
$200 off your package
Click on each item below for breakdown of what’s included
I. Equipment + Nucleus Colony = $1850 Delivered and Installed on your property
Nucleus Colony: We work exclusively with Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) known for their docile nature. Each beehive holds one queen and matures to up to 80,000 bees at the height of the season.
Includes:
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- 5 deep frames of healthy bees, brood (baby bees) and honey (approximately 10,000 bees)
- Young, mated queen
- Includes Initial property assessment
Hive Equipment: We build each beehive by hand using high-quality, natural pine with all- natural beeswax foundations
Includes:
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- Choice of 8 or 10 frame hive boxes
- 2 deep boxes (brood box)
- 1 medium box – (honey super)
- 24-30 frames
- Bottom board
- Inner cover
- Flat roof with a galvanized aluminum casing (Garden copper top available at $65 additional)
- Entrance reducer
II. Maintenance + Inspections $325 per month (May- October Only)
Bee colonies run on a seasonal schedule, so it makes sense that inspections should vary throughout the year as well. Spring and summer are busy seasons, with bees in full nectar collection and honey production mode. At the end of summer, the beekeeper harvests any excess honey, and the rest is stored for the winter. During the colder seasons, the bees stay inside the hive much of the time, vibrating their wings to keep warm.
Full season of in-person inspections of your hive on your property.
Average – Every 7-10 days in the early spring and every 14-21 days in late summer and early fall.
III. Immersive Training: + $300 Total
Tailored, private lessons on sustainable beekeeping practices in your very own hive.
This training focuses on Beekeeping 101 from getting the hive set up through more advanced lessons of understanding bee biology and behavior.
These hands-on lessons will train you how to do a proper inspection, prepare for the changing seasons, determine how much honey can be responsibly harvested and much more.
Why Two Hives?
There are benefits to having more than one hive.
Apart from being able to harvest and share more honey, you can support ailing hives with queen cell transfers or brood (baby bees) if needed.
Each colony is its own unique microcosm and community, with two you can compare colony strength, productivity and health.
Owning two hives also ramps up your learning and understanding of the fascinating nature of bees.
It’s not necessary, but is recommended to have more than one hive if it’s in your budget.
New Partnership
Bay Beehives is happy to announce that we have officially partnered with REAP Climate Center, a non-profit in Alameda dedicated to providing community learning and experiences that empower action for local and global impact.
As the official “Bee Partner” of REAP, we’re now able to provide healthy bee habitats and education for a larger community.
While Bay Beehives provides our premium, all-inclusive service for honeybees on your property, our new partnership provides the option to come to us to learn beekeeping and receive guidance of how to start out on your own. Please Contact Us for more details.