Welcome to Wild Hives Blog

We are Sonja and Rob! We are a Family-Owned Beekeeping Business located in Southwest, Ohio and we’re passionate about “Letting Bees Be Bees!”

Like many, our journey began by reading books, attending local club meetings, and watching lots and lots of YouTube videos. It wasn’t until about 4 years ago that we caught our first swarms. One of them being the tree in our own front yard. Since then, we’ve been catching swarms ever since and through spring splits now have 14 hives. This was the beginning of Wild Hives.

Our desire at Wild Hives is to offer the Beginner Backyard Beekeeper or Seasoned Hobbyist the support they need to follow a simple, local, and balanced approach with sustainable methods through beneficial equipment solutions that foster the bee’s welfare and natural behavior.

Balanced beekeeping is an approach to beekeeping that prioritizes the health and well-being of the honeybees and their natural environment.  This approach aims to strike a balance between the needs of the bees and the needs of the beekeeper.

To do this, we use a hive style called Layens, which offers, we feel, a more natural environment the honeybees would find in the WILD such as a tree. The benefits of this style of hive are many, which include a larger frame size, the hive is at a convenient height off the ground which makes it easier to inspect the hives without bending and hurting your back and no manipulation of boxes to name a few. We use natural methods to combat pests and an inspection process that reduces a negative impact to the bees. We have found this promotes a healthier and stronger colony and an enjoyable experience for the beekeeper.

We understand our main job, as beekeepers, is to learn from the bees who know best while also being mindful of our special responsibility as human beings to also be “earth-keepers.”

Wild Hives would love to journey with you as we are always “Letting Bees Be Bees”.