Gallery

Basking Bee Farm and Apiary

Our Bees and Apiary

Our honey would not be possible without the bees. We currently have Russian and Italian honeybees and their hybrids in our apiary.

Honey Bee on fence board

A young honey bee with lots of yellow fuzz resting on a fence board.
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Honey Bee on Redbud

A honey bee foraging for pollen and nectar on the blooms of a Redbud tree.
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Honey Bee on Crab Apple

A honey bee forages for pollen and nectar in the white blooms of a crab apple tree.
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Honey Bee on Rose

A honey bee forages for pollen and nectar in a bright pink drift rose.
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Honey bee on Post

A honey bee rests on a wooden fence post.
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Honey bee on Cosmo

A honey bee forages for pollen and nectar on a pale pink Cosmo flower.
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Honey Bee on Steer

A honey bee with full pollen baskets rests on the black spot of a Holstein steer.
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The Apiary

A collection of multi-level blue and white bee hives are sitting together in a fenced apiary.
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Hive Activity

Many bees fly in and out of a row of multi-level bee hives painted in blue, gray, and white.
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Bee Hive Entrance Cluster

Bees cluster at the entrance to their hive.
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Peeking Inside a Hive

The top cover of a bee hive has been removed, allowing the viewer to see down into a hive box. There are ten frames with thousands of bees on the frames.
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Preparing a Bee Nuc

A nuc of bees is prepared for a customer who wishes to start their own hive. A nuc is short for nucleus colony and consists of a small box with several frames of bee brood, a queen, and several pounds of bees to care for the queen and brood.
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Catching a Swarm

A swarm of bees hangs from an orange and green swarm trap which offers them a home. If the bees enter, they will begin to build honeycomb and start letting their queen lay new eggs.
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Our Farm

More than just bees live at Basking Bee Farm and Apiary. We have a small herd of cattle and a growing flock of chickens. Both the herd and the flock contain a number of different breeds. Each lends their own character to the whole.

Basking Bee Barn

The brown barn for Basking Bee Farm and Apiary has a green roof, a bee themed barn quilt, and a bee weather vane.
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Fern Among the Buttercups

A blonde Highland cow named Fern grazes on a hill covered in buttercups.
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Evening Fence Conversation

A Holstein steer and an Angus cow stand at the fence while calling to the neighbor's herd of cattle.
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Basking Bee Barn Detail

A closer image of the Basking Bee Barn highlights the honey bee barn quilt.
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Martha Portrait

A Red sex-link hen named martha looks directly into the camera. In the background, a Holstein steer can be seen eating from a bunker feeder.
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Gabby Among the Cosmos

A Red Sex-link hen named Gabby is pictured standing on a tree stump beside a bed of Cosmos.
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A Fine Spring Evening

A Highland cow named Fern and an Angus cow named Carmen stand at a fence by a Kwanzan cherry tree covered in pink blooms.
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Sir Didymus and his Girls

A large Wyandotte rooster named Sir Didymus shares a treat with part of his flock which includs Red Sex-links, Langshans, Leghorns, a Dominique, and a Polish hen.
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Gabby

A Red Sex-Link hen named Gabby scratches at the dirt next to a patch of pink Cosmo flowers.
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Sir Didymus and Goldie

A large Wyandotte rosster named Sir Didymus stands next to a Red Sex-link hen named Goldie.
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Snowy Morning Tracks

The sun rises over a snow covered Basking Bee farm with cow tracks cutting across the snow.
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Bee Weathervane

Atop the Basking Bee barn, there is a copper weathervane in the shape of a bee.
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Apiary Visitors

While you're welcome to visit our apiary, please know that more than just humans visit us as well. We love the wildlife that also can be found here. Assorted insects including several native bee species, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and birds call our farm home. Rabbits and deer are frequent visitors. Should you be uncomfortable with any of these, please let us know so we can do our best to facilitate a positive visit for you.

Sleeping Bumble

A native Bumble bee was found sleeping on an Aster flower in the middle of the cow pasture.
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Wheelbug

A mature wheelbug walks along the path. Wheelbugs are common on the farm.
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Red Spotted Admiral

A Red Spotted Admiral rests on a Japanese Holley.
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Clover and Ladybug

A Ladybug climbs a fence post above a clover bloom.
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Lavender

A native Bumble bee collects pollen and nectar from a lavendar bloom spike.
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Annual Cicada

An empty shell of an annual cicada clings to the bottom of a fence board long after the cicada has flown to find a mate.
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Bumble in Redbud

A native Bumble Bee visits a blooming Redbud tree.
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Snake on Fence

An Eastern Black Snake climbs along a pasture fence, resting his head on the barbed wire. Black snakes are normally only spotted on Basking Bee Farm a couple of times a year. They are non-poisonous and are welcome visitors.
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Black Snake Visit

An Eastern Black Snake slithers through the pasture. Black snakes are normally only spotted on Basking Bee Farm a couple of times a year. They are non-poisonous and are welcome visitors.
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Native Bee on Dandelion

A native Miner Bee collects pollen and nectar from a dandelion bloom.
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Yellow Garden Spider and Egg Sack

A Yellow Garden Spider established her web off the back of a bee hive in the apiary. She guarded a large egg sack. We routinely find a couple of these large yellow and black orb weaver spiders in the apiary each year. We welcome their presence and work to not disturb them.
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Yellow Garden Spider beside Bee Hive

A Yellow Garden Spider established her web off the back of a bee hive in the apiary. We routinely find a couple of these large yellow and black orb weaver spiders in the apiary each year. We welcome their presence and work to not disturb them.
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