Are you a local homeowner who wants to have bees, pollination. and/or and honey production on your property, but just don't have the time or knowledge to make it a reality?

Maybe you own a business or restaurant, and would like honey bee colonies on your site, with honey production occurring right where your customers can buy it?

Bee hive and beekeeper rental might be right for you!  

The logistics and acquired skills needed to keep bees alive are extensive.  Having the space and resources to purchase, manage and store equipment, and the time to properly maintain hives year-round is a daunting responsiblity. That's where bee hive and beekeeper rental may make sense for some.   Rent a beehive from us, and let us take care of it at your home, garden or business setting.  This allows you to enjoy the bees, but not worry about all that typically comes with keeping your own bees.  

With this service:

• we will supply and maintain a healthy colony of honey bees.  This includes one or two deeps of brood, and any medium supers they may fill.  Should a queen fail, or should a colony swarm, we will requeen the colony.  

• we will install the hive(s) in mid-April to mid-May, depending on the weather, and maintain them on your property until late September to mid-October, at which time they will be transported back to River's Edge for overwintering.  

• during the bee season, we will extract a honey harvest from your hive(s), (ranging from 25lbs to 100 lbs per hive) and provide you with up to 60 lbs of your honey per hive.  You can select to bottle that honey on your own, in anyway that you would like.  

• for an additional fee, we will bottle your honey for you, and we can also work with you to design custom labels for your home or business.  

Renters will provide a suitable location for the placement of the hive(s), at the discretion of River's Edge Apiary.  

This service is available for $1,275.00 per season.  Each additional hive, after the first, will be provided for a fee of $700.00 per season.  

While this is not a teaching or mentoring program, renters and their families and friends may certainly get as involved as they would like in the beekeeper's actvities throughout the season.  For those who are actively engaged, should you reach the end of the season and want to keep the bees on your own, we will simply provide you with some overwintering strategies,  leave the bees with you, and you will be off to a solid start as a beekeeper yourself!

If you are interested in learning more about this service, or have specific question, please contact us at riveredgebees@gmail.com or (518) 937-5405.