The history of the apiary
"Life is a flower. Love is its honey"
Victor Hugo
At first, we just bought honey from beekeepers on vacation because we like honey. Then covid arrived and everything changed.
For years, Annie (the mother) has enjoyed talking with beekeepers during family vacations. The protection of nature and bees has always had an important place for her and in the education of her children. The desire to have hives to protect this fragile species was slowly making its way into Annie's mind. But taking care of hives takes time, it should not be taken lightly. It’s a real job!
But confinement arrived, and like many French people, Annie was able to take time for herself and learn about beekeeping, the biology of the bee, the seasons, the functioning of a hive... All accompanied by Joris (the son) who is also passionate about beekeeping.
Jean-François (the dad) is used to making wooden objects. With Joris, they dismantled a new hive, took the measurements of each part and they reproduced identically in 7 exemplars!
It's all well and good to have 8 hives in the garden but they are empty!
The beginning of the adventure
So it's at the end of the confinementment that we made contact with a beekeeper who was ceasing his activity. We bought 3 swarms from him, the practical part could begin! In 2021, for our very first harvest, we were able to pot 7 kilos of honey. A rather fruitful harvest knowing that this year was not the best for professional beekeepers.
We learned so much from contact with bees and from the real practice of beekeeping. At the beginning, we contacted professional beekeepers to get an outside opinion on our work. Then Annie and Joris joined the beekeeping union then the apiary school 41 in Fossé (Loir-et-Cher). An understanding was immediately made within the group, Joris brings his youth and his thirst for learning.
Towards professionalization
After theory, comes practice! With the different swarms collected over the years, our apiary has grown and now we have to know how to take good care of all these little creatures. The material purchased, the knowledge in mind, it's time to prove yourself. It happens within the family and everyone pitches in (or at least in the honey). After the obligatory administrative procedures, we are now a full-fledged family business and market our products. Honey made in Loir-et-Cher harvested with respect for animals and potted in a good mood because we say: bee happy!
