Bees, Honey & Apiaries

Forty-six honey producers, apiaries, beekeeping clubs, and bee supply shops across fifteen counties. Honey here tastes like where it's from: apple blossom and clover on the mountaintop, wildflower in the Helderbergs, and whatever's blooming in the Rockland suburbs. Many producers sell right from the farm as well as at farmers' markets.

Greene County — honey on the mountaintop

Greene County has more beekeepers in the Almanac than anywhere else. Burt's Mountain Honey keeps hives in Windham and on the north side of Ashland Pinnacle, making raw Catskill honey from apple blossom and white clover. Blue Moon Farm in Lexington sells raw wildflower honey, pollen, and beeswax candles, and Catskill Mtn's Organic Honey Hut in Cornwallville sells raw honey from a roadside hut, open daily. Coxsackie has two: Coxsackie Apiary, with raw and creamed honey and beeswax candles, and Coxsackie Bee Goods at the 50-year-old Twin Spruce Apiary gift shop. Fox Farm Apiary in Hannacroix is run by a Cornell Master Beekeeper who keeps hives across five counties, including at Olana. Round it out with The Hen and The Hive in Acra, Maple Hill Farms near Prattsville, and The Bees Knees in Athens, a veteran-owned operation selling honey, bees, and supplies.

Dutchess & Ulster — the big producers

Moon's Gold Apiary in Salt Point has grown from a small start in 2014 to more than 200 production hives, and Remsburger Honey & Maple in Pleasant Valley manages about 300 hives across 20 bee yards, selling raw honey alongside maple syrup. Beacon Bee turns beeswax from its own hives into skin and hair care. In Ulster County, 3 Hives Honey in Highland rotates through seasonal raw varieties, Urban Apis in Hurley focuses on raw honey and bee education, and Phoenicia Honey Co. and Damn Good Honey Farm make honey and beeswax soaps and body products.

The Catskills & Otsego

• Honeybee Herb Farm & Apothecary and Fox Meadow Honey — Margaretville. Honey alongside herbs and handmade goods.
• Anderson's Hillbilly Honey and Bee Thankful Raw Honey — Delhi.
• Hillside Honey & Farm Products — Andes. Honey, mushrooms, and preserves.
• Lansingville Farm & Apiary — Delancey. A honey house open sunrise to sunset.
• Straight from the Hive — Cherry Valley and McCoy's Pure Raw Honey — Oneonta.
• Blackberry Ridge Farm — Callicoon. Highland cattle and a small apiary.

Capital Region, Hudson Valley & south

• Partridge Run Farm & Apiary — Berne. Raw wildflower honey from bees foraging the unsprayed Helderberg hills.
• Good Day Honey — Coeymans Hollow. Raw, creamed, and infused honey.
• Bee Hollow Farm — Schodack Landing. Organic practices with northern-acclimated Carniolan bees.
• Bee Bog Farm — Schenectady and Bees & Quackers — Sloansville. Honey and eggs.
• Honey Dog Farm — Hillsdale. Certified organic honey, vegetables, and flowers.
• Pleasant Valley Apiary — Argyle.
• Honeybrook Farms — Pine Bush and Larry's Backyard Bees — Newburgh.
• Rockland Honey — Monsey. Hives spread across Monsey, Pomona, Suffern, and Wesley Hills.
• Out of the Hive — Bedford Hills and Fly Honey Farms — Westchester. Treatment-free and boutique raw honey.

Want to keep bees? Clubs & supplies

Betterbee in Greenwich is a nationally known supply company and education center, and Kingston has two shops, Hudson Valley Bee Supply and Hudson Valley Beekeeping Supply, both selling bees and equipment. Local clubs welcome beginners, including the Catskill Mountain Beekeepers Club (130-plus member families), the Columbia County Beekeepers Club, the Ulster County Beekeepers' Association, the Valley Beekeepers Club in Schoharie, and the Leatherstocking Beekeepers Association in Cooperstown. Statewide, there's the Empire State Honey Producers Association.

A few practical notes

Raw honey crystallizes over time; that's a sign it hasn't been heated, not that it's gone bad. Set the jar in warm water to loosen it. Supply depends on the season and the weather, and many small producers sell out by winter, so buy when you see a honey you love. Most sell at farmers' markets as well as from the farm.

Explore more of the region's theme guides on Explore by Theme, or pair honey with syrup on The Maple Trail & Catskill Sugarhouses.

A full hive, a warm afternoon, and a jar that tastes like the hillside it came from.