Press Releases

My husband Matt and I are fascinated with our hives – the honey bees are so incredible as they maintain their hives of nearly 60,000 bees each Summer. Over 1,000 eggs are produced by the queen each day, and then raised by the efficient worker bees who also produce the beeswax, clean the hive, fend off invaders, forage for food and produce honey. We are so proud to be able to assist these amazing insects who, along with other pollinators, are responsible for production of about 30% of the food crops that we eat.

We oversee the five hives in The Gardens at Ball in West Chicago, Illinois, as well as 3 hives at our home in Downers Grove. On August 14, 2013, 310 pounds of honey were harvested in The Gardens at Ball, and we're expecting another smaller harvest of about 50 pounds in early September. We also recently harvested 100 pounds from our home hives and are counting on a second, smaller harvest soon. An interesting note: the flavor of the honey is totally dependent on the exact flowers the bees visit. Even though the two sets of hives are only 13 miles apart, each year the flavors are always different!