Sarasota Honey Company gives homeowners a chance to raise bees in their own backyards
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota Honey Company is a family-owned and community-driven apiary business in the Tampa Bay area, and there's plenty of buzz due to their unique approach to raising bees and making honey.
"What makes us different from other beekeeping operations is that, rather than keeping our bees out in big agriculture areas where they are exposed to chemicals and other pesticides, we keep our bees in people’s backyards," Alma Johnson said.
This unique concept gives homeowners a chance to raise bees in their own backyards and get a portion of the honey they produce.
Sarasota Honey company has an application where homeowners can sign up to have the operations literally in their own backyards.
The company will actually manage the operation, and the reward is sweet, delicious honey for the homeowner.
Along with raising bees, the small business makes their own all-natural products and works with individuals with special needs. All the products within their store are hand packaged by people with special needs, giving them employment opportunities and specialized training.
"Our honeybees benefit from having a diverse ecosystem," Johnson says.
Their bees do not have competition as they would out in the country, and they have more of a lush environment on which to forage. This concept gives Sarasota Honey Company a wide variety of artesian honeys that have different types of flavors. Many of their honey varieties have won national awards.
If you live in Manatee County and are interested in possibly raising bees in your own backyard, Sarasota Honey Company has a host-to-hive program that you can sign up for online. A list of questions to make sure that you meet their standards can be found on their website.
In addition to making delicious honey and bee sharecropping, the company offers private tours and online beekeeping classes as well. You can find out more at SarasotaHoney.com.
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