Opening July 1, 2024
Welcome to Sun Mountain Apiary Sun Mountain Apiary Updates
As you may have heard, many growers are reporting crops maturing earlier than normal this year. We fit that pattern as this past Friday we began pulling the first honey supers of the fall season. Despite being about 10 days sooner than we would normally start, they were full of honey and capped by happy bees. The summer has provided a nice mix of rain and sun which maximized the nectar flow of the diverse flora at the farm and surrounding area. All this food makes for happy bees, great honey and bees that are easy to work with! Getting some early honey was timely as it lets us replenish some low stocks in the honey store in time for Family Farm Day this next Saturday. Plan on attending and make our apiary one of your stops. The forecast is perfect - SUN AND FUN! We will be offering a number of things for families and folks that visit including: We aren't always available to answer your honey and beekeeping questions so here is your chance. This year, beekeeper and friend Mike Hammond of Memai's Apiary in Knox has graciously agreed to join us so we are sure someone will always be available to answer all your bee related questions. Buzzing bees! For the first time we will have our new observation hive on site so you can be nose to nose with the girls and safely observe their many fascinating activities. Photos anyone? Also new this year is our children's photo stand. Kids will love getting their picture taken as a working beekeeper! For history buffs, our store will take you back over 130 years with our numerous artifacts on the rich history of beekeeping in the Mohawk Valley. We will be happy to take you on a tour and explain the many pieces and their place in history. Of course the honey store will be fully stocked with honey in every size including comb honey and Linda's very popular lotion bars. For your convenience, we have shade, chairs, bathroom and easy access for all abilities. Come, tour, visit and set a spell! Bee Trivia: Ever wonder where the idea for the plastic honey bear came from? Ralph and Luella Gamber, who founded Dutch Gold Honey, came up with the idea in 1957. The prior year Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne died and while at dinner with friends they came up with the idea to honor Milne and leverage the beloved bear's penchant for honey! The rest is history with millions of the iconic bottles sold each year. Hope to see you Saturday! Bob & Linda 
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Family Farm Day was a huge success. The weather was beautiful and we had 74 folks attend to learn more about bees, our operation and visit our store. Folks of all ages had lots of fun seeing our displays, visiting hives, and seeing our extracting operation. It was great to meet many of our customers in person! Many thanks to all our helpers - beekeepers Mike Hammond and Mick Bello and welcome desk volunteers Jeane Hay and Luanne Mancheffer. Linda was even able to make an appearance for a bit in the afternoon. Thanks also to our neighbors and friends Ray & Sara Luhrman of Fox Creek Farms CSA (foxcreekfarmcsa.com). People asked if you had to go to their farm to get produce. It is easier than that! They deliver throughout the Capital Region including Albany, Schenectady, Rotterdam, Clifton Park, Ballston Spa, Delmar, and Altamont. Delivery days are on their website or reach out to them for more information. We are now about half way through our honey harvest and it is proving to be a very good one. We recently added a 200 liter (53 gallon/~ 636 lbs) settling tank. which has been extremely beneficial. The additional tank allows me to pull honey supers from the hives on nice days and extract and bottle whenever I can to keep the process moving. The new tank and our bottling tank are stainless steel with silicone seals so they can sit with honey in them without fear of the honey absorbing ambient moisture or off flavors. The fall honey is just a bit darker than the spring honey. Still quite light in taste but a bit stronger than the spring honey. Stop by the store and try some! Thanks, and bee kind, Bob 
"I tried absolutely everything to help with my chronic chapped fingers. Your lotion bars have been the BEST BY FAR and one of the few products which actually helps! Thank you!" - K. Abbate, Colonie
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In 2020 we went through the testing and inspection process to become a “NY Grown and Certified Honey Producer.” While all claim their honey is pure, and bees are the best, we decided to back the claims up with the documentation and inspections that prove we have healthy hives, excellent sanitation in extraction, and nothing but pure, raw NY local honey.
Pure - Natural- Raw |
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