Planet Bee is an operating honey farm (apiary) and able to offer pollination services to the agriculture industry of British Columbia. Apiaries are moved in season throughout the North Okanagan and Fraser Valleys for pollination and honey production.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of that or another flower and accomplished usually in one of two ways in nature by the wind or by insects and birds. More than one half of all agricultural food production requires insects to perform this transfer. However with the seriously reduced numbers of native pollinators due in part to the wide and sometime indiscriminate use of insecticides, the greatly reduced availability of natural habitat and the introduction of parasites naturally or by mankind, adequate pollinators are often not available. Honeybees are responsible for the pollination and production of over $300 Million of food crops in addition to the nearly $8 Million worth of honey and other bee products produced in British Columbia.

Planet Bee Honey Farm will have strong healthy honeybee colonies available in the North Okanagan for pollination service contracts. Book early to avoid disappointment. Book Here

Honeybees have a natural tendency to propagate their species or numbers by splitting their colonies to become two. This, the true meaning of swarming is known to happen mostly between May and July and can be quite overwhelming to many people when they first notice this large swarm of honeybees hanging on the branch of a tree, a fence post, a garden shrub or even on the ground. What has happened is that the original hive, in anticipation of the over-crowding of their home, have raised a new queen and upon her emergence, about one half of the field bees gorge themselves with honey and leave the hive with one queen to locate a new home. While the swarm with queen is clustered upon a tree etc. the "Scout" field bees go out searching for a new home in what might be a hollowed out tree, the walls of old (or newer) buildings, or in old abandoned bee hives. When a suitable residence is found, usually within 12 to 36 hours, the scout returns to inform the other bees by performing the famous bee dance. The bees then lift off from their temporary holding area and set up residence in their new digs.
Although a swarm of bees can appear very intimidating, they are generally very docile having very recently gorged themselves with honey and are currently without a home to protect.

If you would like to report a swarm of bees or require more information, please phone our beekeeper at (250) 542-8088. We may be able to collect the swarm or refer you to another interested apiarist who has the time, desire and means to capture this colony of bees. A large enough swarm of these "Free Bees" collected early enough in the season have been known to still produce up to a hundred pounds of honey.