Host-A-Hive Program
[A NEW ORLEANS BEEHIVE EXPANSION PROJECT]
PROGRAM DETAILS
Beekeeping is an extremely rewarding, educational, and impactful hobby. It not only affects us as keepers but our environment, as consumers. If you've ever been interested in beekeeping but perhaps don't want to do it alone, consider hosting a hive. Hive hosts can help us pollinate the area by sponsoring spaces for beehives to be set up. Spaces can be community gardens all the way to privately owned land in the Greater New Orleans Area.
You're invited to participate in honeybee installations, inspections of colony health, and harvesting honey if you would like to learn more about honeybees, but it is not required. Having local honeybees will provide a huge boost in pollination for your neighborhood trees, fruits, vegetables, and grasses, as well as produce a bumper crop of raw local honey for you to share with clients, friends, and family. Once the colony produces more honey than the bees need, we’ll extract the extra honey, package it and share it with you. If your hive fails or does not make any extra honey that year, which sometimes happens, you will receive honey from a nearby colony. And if you love local honey, you can’t get any closer than your own backyard!
HOSTING OPTIONS
Limit 2 hives per 1/4 acre, 4 for under 1/2 acre, 6 under 1 acre, and 8 for 1 acre as described by Louisiana law. Please note that parish-related restrictions vary.
Please note that it is typical for a hive not to produce excess honey during the first year. Any excess that a thriving hive may have in year one will go to the hive host to try to meet the plan's goal of honey disbursement. However, honey from nearby hives may need to be given in order to meet the goal amount. This effort of fulfillment for honey disbursement to hosts will hold true regardless of the hive year since production can fluctuate season-to-season. All plans are based on a 12-month period per hive. Plan details are subject to change. Changes do not take effect until contract renewals occur.
*Please note that applicable sales taxes and transactions fees vary by payment method. These monthly prices are for PayPal. Payments made through Shop Pay will vary based on the number of divisions selected.They are based on the standard annual amount.**Applies to What It Bees Like Products Only
Monthly payments for plans are done via Paypal subscriptions or Shop Pay. All annually paid plans can be paid: in cash, by check, by card, via Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle.
BASIC PROCESS
Application of Interest. You tell us if you're interested in hosting a hive and we reach out to discuss the details.
Site Inspection. We'll come to check to make sure the site works for the basic requirements for keeping bees. Per the local laws, we're looking for something no closer than 5 feet to a property line and no closer than 10 feet to a dwelling. Bees need a short "landing strip" for entering and exiting the hive, so hives are not recommended to face or be in the middle of high-traffic walkways.
Hive Initiation. We'll get your bees, equipment, and any other tidbits together for you to host a hive. Please note: Bee availability is based on the seasons. Apiaries take orders at specific times of the year. Local swarms/hives can become available at random. Hosting start times depend on hive and supply availability variables.
Installation. We'll come out and set up your equipment and bees.
Enjoy and Learn. We'll maintain the bees, and you maintain the ease of having a hive to observe and enjoy.
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3. Apply to Host: Apply Online