Three days
with the bees
in Mendocino.
A three-day beekeeping retreat in Mendocino, September 11 to 13, 2026, hosted by Bay Beehives and Mendo Bee

A beekeeping retreat about bees, the land, and what the hive can teach us about being human.

September 11–13, 2026
Mendocino, CA
Ten Guests
Reserve — $825
Read On

An invitation to the hive.

A three-day beekeeping retreat September 11-13, 2026

An ancient practice, a coastal garden, and three days to slow down to the rhythm of the hive.

This is a weekend for anyone who has ever stood near a hive and wanted to lean in. Whether you’re dreaming of your first colony, planting a pollinator garden, or simply craving a few days away from screens; Tend is built for you.

You’ll camp under the dark sky at Mendo Bee, Apiary and Garden Classroom on the Mendocino coast. You’ll learn beekeeping with your hosts. Between them, they’ve tended hundreds of hives over more than a decade, guided by one principle: what’s best for the bee. You’ll open real hives and meet them up close. You’ll eat from the garden and local farms, Saturday’s dinner prepared by the farm’s resident Chef Chantelle, share fireside chats, and on Sunday morning ask what the hive can teach us about being human.

You’ll close the weekend with a picnic at Russian Gulch, where the coast meets the forest.

Ten guests. One hive.

Tend the bees.
Tend the land.
Tend each other.

Three days. Three kinds of tending.

i.

The bees.

An old, careful practice. Open a hive. Read a colony. Learn how the bees actually live, communicate, and care for each other.

ii.

The land.

Three days inside a working garden sanctuary on the Mendocino coast. Eat what’s grown there. Walk the pollinator paths. Belong to a place.

iii.

Each other.

The hive is one of the oldest models of community on Earth. Ten of us, one fire, three days; and a Sunday morning to ask what the hive has to teach us.

Three days, in three movements.

Friday · Arrive

The gathering.

• Welcome & check-in
• Set up camp at Mendo Bee
• Site walk & orientation
• Welcome gift & weekend agenda
• Fireside chat and snacksMeet the bees, meet each other

Saturday · Learn the Hive

The colony, up close.

• Garden breakfast
• Beekeeping 101Bee biology, roles inside a colony, how bees communicate, how they make honey and beeswax. A candid look at why the bees are disappearing, and what each of us can do to help bring them back.
• Lunch from the garden
• Live hive inspectionAn interactive tour where you’ll learn how beekeepers read a hive: what we look for, how we listen, and how we care for the colony.
• Dinner by Chef Chantelle
• Live music around the fire with local musician Frank Hirata

Sunday · Become the Hive

What the hive knows.

• Garden breakfast
• The Hive MindBiomimicry and what colony consciousness can teach us about being human. A morning asking what the hive has to teach us about belonging, collaboration, and the lives we’re building.
• Guided honey tastingMore than ten local honeys, with a walk through the unique flavor profiles of each varietal, plus a brief introduction to the other gifts of the hive.
• Closing picnic at Russian Gulch State Park, where the coast meets the forest
• Depart

Two stewards. One weekend.

Together, they’ve tended hundreds of hives over more than a decade, guided by one principle: what’s best for the bee.

This weekend is an exciting collaboration between two complementary organizations – Bay Beehives and Mendo Bee. Bay Beehives brings decades of beekeeping knowledge, technical instruction, hive management expertise. Mendo Bee brings immersive learning, ecology, systems thinking, connection to place, the educational experience.

Melissa McAndrew
Bay Beehives

The heart of our work is teaching; apprenticing new beekeepers the ancient way, hand to hand and hive to hive. We install and tend hives across the San Francisco Bay Area, and serve as the Official Bee Partner of the REAP Climate Center.

I trained for five years under one of Sonoma County’s most respected beekeepers before founding Bay Beehives in 2022. I don’t sell honey. I take only what can be responsibly harvested, and I leave the bees with enough of their own stores to carry them through winter. My work is in service of the hive, the habitat it tends, and the quiet education of anyone who wants to come close.

Tend is an extension of that work. It would be an honor to share it with you.

“There is one masterpiece, the hexagonal cell, that touches perfection… if intelligence from another world were to descend and ask of the earth the most perfect creation, I would offer the humble comb of honey.”
— Maurice Maeterlinck, The Life of the Bee, 1924
Mendo Bee
Apiary and Garden Classroom

The best way to care for nature is to first understand it.

Flower • Food • Future

Mendo Bee is an Apiary & Garden Classroom dedicated to helping people reconnect with the living systems that sustain us through the remarkable world of honey bees. We believe bees are extraordinary teachers, revealing the interconnected relationships between flowers, food, biodiversity, and people.

Our approach is rooted in firsthand experience. Whether standing beside a hive, walking through a garden, sharing a meal, or participating in thoughtful conversation, we believe that meaningful learning happens through direct engagement with the natural world.

This workshop marks the beginning of that journey. As Mendo Bee grows, we envision creating a network of physical and digital classrooms that make ecological learning accessible to anyone, anywhere: through workshops, retreats, storytelling, digital learning, and experiences that inspire curiosity, stewardship, and connection.

We are honored that our first public gathering is in partnership with Bay Beehives, and we look forward to welcoming you for a weekend of learning, discovery, and shared appreciation for one of nature’s most remarkable creatures.

What’s included.

• Two nights camping under the dark sky at Mendo Bee
• All meals from Friday evening snacks through Sunday lunch; local, organic, prepared by Chef Chantelle (Saturday dinner)
• Beekeeping 101, a live hive inspection, and a guided tasting of more than ten local honeys
• A welcome gift and weekend agenda package
• Live music around the fire with local musician Frank Hirata (Saturday), fireside chats, and time to do nothing at all
• Closing picnic at Russian Gulch State Park (included for those who can stay)

Group Size
Ten guests

Camping is limited to ten but the class size will be larger if we invite local friends at a discount. A waitlist will open if we sell out; additional spots may be released based on interest.

Investment
$825 per person

Discounts for local, non-camping residents. Payment plan available on request.

What to Bring
A short list

A packing list will be sent after booking. We provide bee suits, smokers, and tools.

Things you may be wondering.

Do I need any beekeeping experience?
None. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.
I’m afraid of bees. Is this for me?
Possibly more than you think. Most fear of bees softens within the first hour near a calm, well-tended hive. We move slowly. We will not push you into a suit you are not ready for.
Is camping the only option?
Camping at Mendo Bee is part of the experience. If camping isn’t workable for you, reach out; there are inns and rentals in town, and we can advise.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
Tell us at booking. Chef Chantelle will accommodate.
What’s the cancellation policy?
Fifty percent refundable up to fourteen days before the retreat. Inside fourteen days, your spot is non-refundable but transferable to another guest.
Will Tend run again?
Yes. This is the first Tend. If it goes the way we hope, there will be a next one.

Ten spots. One weekend.

Tend is small on purpose. If this weekend is calling to you, reserve before it fills.

Reserve — $825
Email Melissa