About us
Tony & Julia
Morro Bay Bees (MBB) is a small family operated sustainable Top Bar Hive Apiary. We use feral swarms and a select breed of “Yugo” Carniolan Stock to produce a very calm bee with an ability to tolerate Varroa mites and Trachea mites. Our Apiaries are located on the central coast of California and are small, usually not more than ten hives in each, enabling the colonies to winter without supplemental feedings of commercial syrup. MBB apiaries are chemical and antibiotic free; we do not medicate or poison the colonies, as the colonies must be able to self clean and survive.
In our opinion, using Top Bar Hives (TBH’s) allows us to manipulate the colonies with minimal intrusion into the life of the colony. They are worked from the back towards the front, one bar at a time. They are usually manipulated without even the use of a smoker. No commercial comb or foundation is used, and the bees are able to make the comb in any size they prefer. The only manipulation is to encourage them to hang the comb from a Top Bar and to discourage swarming and cross or burr comb.
With the use of TBH’s, we harvest the wax every time we harvest the honey. This produces a very clean honeycomb since the wax wasn’t previously uncapped and extracted as is done in most commercial operations. The honeycomb is then crushed and strained with out the use of any heat or power equipment. The crushed honeycomb is strained under the sun to separate the honey from the comb. This honey is never cooked; it is pure raw honey and may include microscopic pieces of wax. Once the honey and the comb or bees wax is separated, the wax is then used by artisans to produce other products that require pure, clean beeswax.
We provide pollination services to organic orchards, small farmers, gardeners, and anyone interested in the art and science of Apiculture. We also perform swarm removals in the Central California Area. If you would like to learn more about TBH Apiculture, please contact us using our contacts page. We will be happy to assist you.