Revolution Bees Consultation, Hive Hosting and Sponsoring Programs

Are you interested in having backyard bees, but don’t have the time or desire become a beekeeper
yourself? Are you a business interested in improving your local environment? Revolution Bees offers
two programs that help you with these goals: hosting or sponsoring honeybee colonies.

Hosting

The beekeepers are Revolution Bees will place two or more colonies of honeybees on your property. We
will manage the colony throughout the season, ensuring the bees are happy and healthy, and we will
perform intensive swarm prevention procedures. Your support helps to provide the bees with
equipment, medication, and care necessary to keep them happy and healthy. At the end of the season,
you will receive 10 bottles of honey from your backyard bees.

Sponsorship

You can sponsor a honeybee colony at our farm. You’ll receive a quarterly update including pictures on
the status of your sponsored bee colony, as well as 5 bottles of honey from the colony at the end of the
season. This is a great option if you want to support local honeybees but don’t have the space to host
hives. Your sponsorship helps to provide the bees with equipment, medication, and care necessary to
keep them happy and healthy. At the end of the season, you will receive 5 bottles of honey from your
sponsored colony.

Fees
1. Hosting: $500 annual fee per location
2. Sponsorship: $150 annual fee per hive

Benefits of Hosting and Sponsoring Honeybees

Pollination. You will notice a marked increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables in your garden, and
so will your neighbors. Each colony of honeybees will have 50,000 or more bees at the peak of the
honey season, dramatically increasing local flower, fruit, and vegetable success.

Support struggling bee populations. Approximately 30% of honeybees colonies survive for one year or
less. At Revolution bees, our survival rate is 85% + for the last several years. By hosting or sponsoring
hives, you’re helping to increase the local honeybees population in a sustainable way.

Become one with nature. A honeybee colony can have a profound impact on the ecosystem, and can be
a gateway to connecting with nature in your micro environment.

Honey from your backyard. You’re not going to get any more local than honey taken from a honeybee
colony in your own backyard. You’ll receive 10 bottles of ultra local golden deliciousness every year that
your host or sponsor honeybees.

Bees and business. If you’re a local business that wants to make a difference, consider hosting or
sponsoring honeybees.

Supporting honeybees shows your serious about sustainability
Improve your perception to both potential customers and employees.
Improve employee and customer engagement
Personal and local honey makes for great corporate gifts or charity
Marketing and PR opportunities abound…honeybees make for great photos.

FAQs

What makes an ideal location for hosting honeybees?
  - No or limited foot traffic with 25 feet of the hives
  - Full sun, especially southern sun exposure
  - Dry or relatively dry ground
  - No pesticide use on premises
  - A clear flightpath for the bees to enter and leave the hive
  - Access to the hives by vehicle. We need to be able to drive up to the hives.
  - No pools nearby. Honeybees have a tendency to drink pool water and can congregate
around pools.

What is swarming, how can it be prevented?
Swarming is when half of the bee colony along with the queen leaves the hive in search of a new home. The remaining half of the colony will raise a new queen and continue business as usual in the original hive. Honeybees swarm when two conditions are met: there is a large population of bees in the hive and there is a strong nectar flow. We take active measures to prevent swarming that include managing the honeybees’ space properly, splitting the colony, and regular inspection to stay ahead of the swarming
impulse. We can’t guarantee that every colony will not swarm however it is our goal to keep all the bees at home.

How often will Revolution Bees inspect my hosted honeybee colonies?
In the Spring we inspect every 1-2 weeks, as this is the season that requires the most management. In the summer about
every 2-3 weeks, once a month or so in the Fall and in the Winter about twice.

What do honeybees do in the winter?
Honeybees do not migrate or hibernate, they cluster.  Honeybees huddle together in a ball or cluster shape in the winter to keep warm, eating the honey they’ve stored up during the spring and summer to provide the energy to do so.

Can I observe a hive inspection?
Yes! We would love to show you how your colony of honeybees is doing, and we love talking about bees. Because beekeeping is an agricultural pursuit scheduling of hive inspections is largely weather dependent, so a bit of advance notice is required. Please note that beekeeping is not a risk free pursuit, and we recommend wearing a bee suit if you wish to observe an inspection.

What if one of my hosted colonies does not survive?
Unfortunately, this does happen from time to time though we do our best to ensure that all our colonies survive. If one of your hosted colonies does unfortunately not make it, we will replace it with a new colony from our farm.