Los Olivos Honey Bees -- About

Los Olivos Honey Bees

We are backyard hobbyist beekeepers in Los Olivos, California en.wikipedia.org.
Our bee management philosophy is to provide desirable homes for bees. We do not use any chemical or antibiotic treatments. We also practice organic gardening.
Honey Bee Swarms
- Swarm Removal -- we are happy to rescue any exposed honey bee swarms in the Santa Ynez Valley (Buellton, Ballard, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Solvang). We also do easier honey bee removal jobs (such as from sprinkler boxes).
  
  Report a honey bee swarm in the Santa Ynez Valley
  
  For help with other bee removal issues, see
  
  Beekeepers in Santa Barbara County who assist with bee removal (PDF file) www.mvmdistrict.org
- Honey bee swarms are generally docile. The bees are just looking for a new home. Swarms are the natural way that a bee colony reproduces itself. Swarms are rarely defensive, as the bees have no brood or hive to protect. Before leaving their hive, the bees gorge themselves on honey to provide energy to create wax comb in their new home, and as such are too bloated and cumbersome to use their stingers. The swarm is simply waiting for scout bees to find a new home. When the new home is found, the swarm will fly off (usually within two days).
- If you live in the Santa Ynez Valley, and are interested in beekeeping, please Contact Vic. We would be happy to help or mentor you. As we do swarm captures and bee removals, we often have extra honey bee colonies in need of a good home. If you're interested, please Subscribe to our E-Mail List.
- Honey bees can be safely relocated...
  Please do not spray nor kill honey bees.

Honey for sale

Our honey label

Vic and Debbie Ceder

Debbie and Vic Ceder

Vic and Debbie Ceder

Caitlyn Ceder

History

In May 2015, we started beekeeping with two nucs (small nucleus hives) from Jeremy Rose www.californiabeecompany.com. One hive did amazing, but the bees absconded from the other (perhaps due to ants, wax moths, etc.). The remaining hive quickly populated 2 large brood boxes, then produced nine 16-oz jars of honey by October 3rd.
Bees are surprisingly gentle, and interesting to watch.
In 2016, we obtained 2 more nucs from Jeremy Rose, and got a 4th hive from an extraction.
As of November 2017, we had 7 hives (mostly feral bee swarms or cutouts).
In 2018, we increased to 14 hives due to swarm catches.
As of April 2021, we have 18 hives, in 8 locations.
We are members of:
- Santa Ynez Valley Beekeepers www.ceder.net
- Lompoc Valley Beekeepers Association lvbka.org

Why we started with bees (by Vic)

Every year, there are fewer and fewer pollinators, due to pesticides, environmental contaminants, disease and mites. Over the years, we noticed a decline of bees in our yard. After recently installing solar panels, bird houses, and bat houses, honey bees seemed like the next logical step.
Ever since grade school, I've always wanted to keep bees. When other kids were interested in dinosaurs, I was interested in insects. I had 3 large bee books in my library for over 30 years. During my younger years, I was introduced to a local beekeeper named Karl Wollarth www.independent.com. He had a pick-your-own raspberry and blackberry patch, and sold honey and fruit at the local farmer's markets. He had several bee hives and also raised chickens. I remember being impressed with his varietal honeys: avocado, eucalyptus, and lemon. Each was different and delicious.
A few years ago, I discovered that 3 of my cousins were keeping bees (one in Marin County, CA; one in Boulder, CO; and one in Washington, DC). That was the clincher... I just had to get some bees!