SPOTLIGHT • Busy As A Bee
May 31, 2018
Second Honey Bee Festival On Tap In McGaheysville
By SHELBY MERTENS
Daily News-Record 5/31/18
HARRISONBURG — Hott Apiary is hosting its second annual Honey Bee Festival on June 16 to educate the public on the importance of beekeeping, while also providing entertainment for the whole family.
The festival will include 35 local vendors, food trucks, live music, games, beekeeping workshops and, of course, honey.
Mike Hott started his apiary business in McGaheysville around 10 years ago, although Hott, inspired by his grandfather, has been beekeeping for over two decades. An apiary is the name for a place where bees are kept.
Over 600 people attended the first Honey Bee Festival last year.
“It was a lot of people,” Hott said. “I couldn’t believe it. A lot of people took something away from the classes that they didn’t know.”
The event was pushed back a month to June this year for weather-related reasons. Hott said he is expecting greater attendance this year if it doesn’t rain.
Besides the festival, Hott Apiary provides beekeeping services, such as honey extraction and pollination, educational classes, and sells locally made honey products from the bees. Hott does not use pesticides or antibiotics, and the hives are certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The honey is spun and bottled there on the farm in McGaheysville.
Hott hopes the festival is a chance for families to learn about bees and appreciate their contribution to the ecosystem.
“So many people don’t understand about bees,” he said. “It’s nice to let people get involved with the whole bee thing and [learn] how important they are.”
Hott will teach three workshops during the festival, including an introductory class and informational courses on topics such as hive inspections.
New to the festival this year is Karl Shank from The Natural Garden in Harrisonburg, who will teach a native plant pollinating seminar.
The Shenandoah Valley Beekeeping Association will also provide information. An observation hive will allow children and their families to view bees through glass.
Local artisans will set up booths selling anything from handmade jewelry and soap to oil paintings and pencil drawings. One vendor will have native plants for sale.
Hott Apiary’s goods will be available to purchase. The apiary sells clover, wildflower and thistle honey, along with an array of natural remedy products made with honey, including healing salve, foot balm, lip balm, face wash, cuticle creme, lotion stick and sore muscle rub. The apiary also has bees, queen bees, pollen and combs.
Children will be entertained with various bee-related activities in the “kids’ corner,” which includes a costume contest for those who come dressed as a bee or flower.
“We’re trying to make it fun to learn about bees,” Hott said.
Prizes donated by Hott Apiary and other vendors will be raffled off during the festival. Each person will receive a free raffle ticket when they enter the festival grounds, and more tickets may also be purchased.
The proceeds will benefit People Helping People, a cooperative of local churches that provide financial assistance and resources for those in need, and the Healthcare for the Homeless Suitcase Clinic.
The Honey Bee Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hott Apiary, located at 882 Bloomer Springs Road in McGaheysville.
ABOVE, LEFT: Mike Hott checks his brood for queen larvae in March 2017 at the Hott Apiary in McGaheysville.
ABOVE RIGHT: Hott used the queen bees to make new hives due to increasing demand for honey.
Mike Hott checks his brood to see if he can split nucs, or nuclear hives, at the Hott Apiary in McGaheysville.
By SHELBY MERTENS
Daily News-Record 5/31/18
HARRISONBURG — Hott Apiary is hosting its second annual Honey Bee Festival on June 16 to educate the public on the importance of beekeeping, while also providing entertainment for the whole family.
The festival will include 35 local vendors, food trucks, live music, games, beekeeping workshops and, of course, honey.
Mike Hott started his apiary business in McGaheysville around 10 years ago, although Hott, inspired by his grandfather, has been beekeeping for over two decades. An apiary is the name for a place where bees are kept.
Over 600 people attended the first Honey Bee Festival last year.
“It was a lot of people,” Hott said. “I couldn’t believe it. A lot of people took something away from the classes that they didn’t know.”
The event was pushed back a month to June this year for weather-related reasons. Hott said he is expecting greater attendance this year if it doesn’t rain.
Besides the festival, Hott Apiary provides beekeeping services, such as honey extraction and pollination, educational classes, and sells locally made honey products from the bees. Hott does not use pesticides or antibiotics, and the hives are certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The honey is spun and bottled there on the farm in McGaheysville.
Hott hopes the festival is a chance for families to learn about bees and appreciate their contribution to the ecosystem.
“So many people don’t understand about bees,” he said. “It’s nice to let people get involved with the whole bee thing and [learn] how important they are.”
Hott will teach three workshops during the festival, including an introductory class and informational courses on topics such as hive inspections.
New to the festival this year is Karl Shank from The Natural Garden in Harrisonburg, who will teach a native plant pollinating seminar.
The Shenandoah Valley Beekeeping Association will also provide information. An observation hive will allow children and their families to view bees through glass.
Local artisans will set up booths selling anything from handmade jewelry and soap to oil paintings and pencil drawings. One vendor will have native plants for sale.
Hott Apiary’s goods will be available to purchase. The apiary sells clover, wildflower and thistle honey, along with an array of natural remedy products made with honey, including healing salve, foot balm, lip balm, face wash, cuticle creme, lotion stick and sore muscle rub. The apiary also has bees, queen bees, pollen and combs.
Children will be entertained with various bee-related activities in the “kids’ corner,” which includes a costume contest for those who come dressed as a bee or flower.
“We’re trying to make it fun to learn about bees,” Hott said.
Prizes donated by Hott Apiary and other vendors will be raffled off during the festival. Each person will receive a free raffle ticket when they enter the festival grounds, and more tickets may also be purchased.
The proceeds will benefit People Helping People, a cooperative of local churches that provide financial assistance and resources for those in need, and the Healthcare for the Homeless Suitcase Clinic.
The Honey Bee Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hott Apiary, located at 882 Bloomer Springs Road in McGaheysville.
ABOVE, LEFT: Mike Hott checks his brood for queen larvae in March 2017 at the Hott Apiary in McGaheysville.
ABOVE RIGHT: Hott used the queen bees to make new hives due to increasing demand for honey.
Mike Hott checks his brood to see if he can split nucs, or nuclear hives, at the Hott Apiary in McGaheysville.
