Bee Hives

In the back, hidden between the long grasses, are some honey bee hives. This is the Westminster Bee Club apiary (where a collection of hives is kept). The boxes you see are home to bee colonies.Each has a queen and a hundred workers who constantly bring pollen and nectar to the hive. Some of this nectar is turned into honey, which is harvested during the summer.

Honey bees are truly amazing creatures to watch, and the park hives allow you to see day-to-day activities at a safe distance without disrupting or irritating the bees. Every month, the Westminster Bee Club members visit Standley’s hives to not only utilize it as an educational opportunity for new beekeepers but also to inspect, maintain, and care for the honey bees.

Park staff and Westminster Bee Club members aim to keep the apiary structure strong and homey to promote a healthy honey bee culture and help prevent the introduction of the Varroa mite. The Varroa mite is a devastating bee pathogen that, if left untreated, can kill an entire honeybee colony.