𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: Stainless steel is perfectly safe. The myth comes from a kernel of truth about reactive metals, not metal in general. Here is what actually happens. Honey has a pH around 3.9, which makes it naturally acidic. That acidity can react with certain metals like aluminum, copper, brass, and iron. Over time that reaction can cause discoloration or give your honey a metallic taste. Stainless steel does not have that problem. It is non reactive, which is exactly why beekeepers use stainless steel tools for extracting and bottling honey every single day. A stainless spoon, knife, or honey dipper in your kitchen will not hurt your honey one bit. So the real rule is not "no metal." It is "no reactive metal." If you want to go the extra mile for long term storage, glass, wood, and ceramic are still the gold standard since they are completely inert. But for everyday use, do not let this myth stop you from grabbing whatever spoon is closest.

As promised, here's our favorite little whipped honey recipe, just a thank you for being part of this hive! 🍯 This one's so simple, just raw honey and a stand mixer (or hand mixer if that's what you've got). Whip it up, and in about 10 minutes you'll have a pale, fluffy, frosting-like honey that's perfect spread on biscuits, toast, or eaten straight off the spoon, no judgment here. Want to dress it up? Add a splash of vanilla or a little cinnamon while you whip. And if you're using sprinkles for a fun topping, save those for right before serving so the colors don't bleed into the jar. Give it a try this week and let us know how yours turns out!

To the handful of y'all who've already joined DuBEEville Beekeeper Hub, before any launch post, before any marketing, before this was even fully built out. Y'all aren't even beekeepers. You just showed up because you know us. @Jennifer H. @Trinity Scheiern @Samantha Gruber That means more than you probably realize. Starting something new is a little scary, especially when you're stepping out to share something you've learned through years of hands-on, sometimes messy, always rewarding experience. Having friends and family here first made it feel less like launching into the void and more like sharing something with people who love us. So thank you for showing up for us, even if bees were never really your thing. For believing in this before it was anything. For being the first ones in the room. Maybe you'll learn to love bees a little along the way too. Or maybe you're just here to cheer us on, and that's more than enough. Glad y'all are here. Let's keep building this hive together. 🐝🍯

If you've read a beekeeping blog this month, you've seen "June = peak nectar flow!" That's true for a lot of the country. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨. Here in South Louisiana, our flow runs earlier and ends faster. It usually starts mid-May and wraps by mid-June, driven mostly by the Chinese Tallow tree, an invasive nuisance most folks want to cuss at, but bees absolutely love its nectar-rich tassels. So while other regions are just hitting their stride, we're already heading into 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵, little to no nectar or pollen available. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄: 1- 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨. Quick, minimal checks only. Honey smell during dearth attracts robbers. Watch for robbing. Desperate bees raid weaker hives when nectar dries up. Keep an eye on entrances. 2- 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣. No nectar coming in often means she slows her laying. Normal, not a problem. 3- 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩. Early July is harvest time here. 80% capped comb means it's ready to pull. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: generic beekeeping advice isn't wrong, it's just often written for somewhere else. Tulip poplar country. Clover country. We're tallow country, and our calendar runs on its own clock. The next few weeks are about protecting what's already built, not chasing more growth. If your hive feels quieter than it did three weeks ago, that's not a problem. That's just July showing up early, like it always does. 🐝 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆'𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄.

Hey y'all, and welcome. I'm Stephanie, and along with my husband Jody, we run DuBEEville Farms, our apiary in Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana. We've been keeping bees since 2019, and what started as a passion has turned into something we feel called to share. This space is for 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲, beekeepers, aspiring beekeepers, and the simply bee-curious. You don't have to own a hive or ever plan to. If bees fascinate you, if you care about what's happening to them, or if you just want to understand this world a little better, you belong here. We will often share information specific to South Louisiana since that is where DuBEEville Farms calls home, but the conversation is open to all. No question is too small here. We've asked them all ourselves. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 🍯 Connection with beekeepers and bee lovers at every level. Ask questions, share what you're learning, and find people who understand why this matters. 🌻 Real information about bees, hives, honey, and the role bees play in our food, our gardens, and God's creation, whether you ever keep a single hive or not. 🐝 A place to belong as you figure out this whole beekeeping thing, one season at a time. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 🗓️ Our monthly live group calls walk through exactly what's happening in our hives right now, season by season, plus live Q&A. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘶𝘣 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯. 𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. God calls us to take dominion over every creeping thing on the earth. We believe tending the hive is one of the most intentional ways to answer that call right now, because bees are in crisis. Nearly 60% of commercial bee colonies were lost worldwide in the last year alone. Something so small, so essential to our food supply, so woven into the fabric of creation, is slipping away. There's something sacred about slowing down enough to pay attention to something so small and so important. And there's something powerful about ordinary people deciding to do something about it, one hive at a time.