KEEPERS
Building a community of honey bee enablers.
Keepers works to celebrate honey bees and to create a community of support so that these pollinators can thrive.
We focus our efforts in the greater Portland, Maine area by providing beehive tours, beehive management services, and on call swarm catching. This includes honey beehive installation and management, swarm catching and beehive cutouts, beehive tours, and honey extraction and bottling. These services build a community of honey bee stewards who will in turn promote and advocate for the success of the honey bee.
Be in touch anytime:
207-747-7057
FAQs
ROOFTOP BEEKEEPING?
Some of the hives we manage are in downtown Portland on the roofs of tall buildings. We're often asked, how does that work, what do they eat up there?
Honey bees will fly 2-3 miles out to forage for food. Our bees are out collecting nectar, pollen, water, and tree sap all over the peninsula of Portland.
WHY ARE HONEY BEES DYING?
There are multiple factors at play that challenge the success of honey bees today. The best explanation we've come across is Marla Spivak's talk "Why bees are disappearing" - it's brief and wicked informative.
I WANT TO KEEP BEES. WHERE DO I START?
That's great news! Since this pursuit can be expensive and time consuming, we recommend taking a class and reading a book or two before installing your first hives.
Books:
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The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum
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Beekeeping for Dummies
For a class:
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Go local rather than online! You'll learn important regional knowledge, and make beekeeping friends who will help you down the line. Look around for beekeeping clubs or universities that offer introductory beekeeping classes.
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If you live near Portland, Maine, we highly recommend The Honey Exchange - their beginning classes, offered January-March will give you all the info you need to start your first year of beekeeping.
MAINE HONEY BEE RESOURCES:
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Join your local club - ours is the Cumberland County Beekeepers
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Join the Maine State Beekeepers Association and receive the lovely seasonal print newsletter, The Bee Line.
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Lucky us, we have a Maine State Beekeeper! Jen Lund is an incredible resource for local beekeepers who'd like a guest inspector, help preparing hives for sale, and more.
Have another question? Let us know.
MANY OF THE IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE COURTESY OF
THE PRESS HOTEL AND PHOTOGRAPHER KARI HERER.
Thalassa
Thalassa is the bee tender behind Keepers. She started beekeeping as a teenager in Minnesota as an apprentice at Ames Farm. She was hooked and continued to learn as much as she could about honey bees.
Now a long term Maine resident, Thalassa is happy to share her passion for these pollinators. She believes firmly in making the mysteries of the beehive accessible to anyone who is curious to learn more. She currently serves on the executive board of the Maine State Beekeepers Association.
