You read that right – I visited a honey bee farm in Hawaii. Why, you ask? Allow me to explain.
When you travel, you seek authenticity. You have a desire to see the “real” side of a destination, not just the curated tourist points of interest that locations tout in order to drive in money. Or at least you should.
When I was looking at things to do on the Big Island on my latest trip to Hawaii, I did just that – looked into what local experiences I could have.
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I knew I was going to see some beautiful beaches, go snorkeling, drive around the interior of the island, eat tons of good food…but I wanted something culturally unique to experience.
Now, if you’re like me, you don’t initially think “I want to visit a farm in Hawaii” when planning your trip. For starters, aside from the Dole Plantation, I didn’t realize that Hawaii had farms. I thought it was a tropical paradise…and that was it. I didn’t stop to think any deeper.
But then I started traveling and woke up. I realized that there was more to destinations than just what is shown in the media.
Why a bee farm in Hawaii?
So back to when I was planning my trip to the Big Island. I wanted culture. I wanted something raw. Something that was important to the land and its people, but not necessarily “mainstream.” Call me a cliche, but I definitely wanted something different.
I started researching what type of farm in Hawaii I wanted to visit, and I found 4 options. After looking over my options, I chose to visit Big Island Bees and learn how organic honey was produced.
To me, it seemed so random to have a bee farm in Hawaii. But then I had to ask myself why. Why was it random? People live on the island. They need food, jobs, and bees are everywhere. And it’s not like bees are only supposed to be in one area.
So loaded with this conversation in my head, I booked a tour with Big Island Bees and planned my visit.
Pictures from our demonstration at the bee farm in Hawaii. Our awesomely hilarious guide was introducing a new queen to a hive.
How to visit a bee farm in Hawaii
You can visit Big Island Bees without having to make a reservation. They have beautiful grounds you can walk around and take pictures on, pay a visit to the hives (behind some protective screens), learn more about organic honey and beekeeping at their museum, and patronize the store.
If you’d like to learn a little more, and experience a delicious tasting of the organic honey, I recommend making a reservation for a tour of the bee farm in Hawaii.
Tours are offered twice a day, and are good for visitors of any age. During my tour, there was a family with 2 small children, and another group of adults. Everyone was interested and the beekeeper was amazing with the different ages in our group.
The location isn’t exactly ADA accessible, but if you’ve got a strong person in your group, they should be able to push a wheelchair over to the hives. The museum and store are a little more accessible.
For more up-to-date information on pricing and to book directly, visit THIS WEBSITE.
We got to taste 6 different honeys, and, of course, I bought a few of them. Remember – honey is considered a liquid by the TSA, so they need to be checked and not packed in your carry-on luggage, even if they’re sealed!
TIPS on visiting Big Island Bees
Although it’s pretty straight-forward to visit the Big Island Bees bee farm in Hawaii, there are a few quick tips that I have before you head off…
Don’t take a taxi or ride share! The location is in a rural area south of Kona on the west coast of the island, and taxis and ride shares aren’t readily available. If that’s the only mode of transportation you have, make sure to plan ahead. Make arrangements with the drivers to pick you up an hour after the tour ends.
Don’t rely on GPS to find the location. Like I said before, the Big Island Bees bee farm in is a local, rural area. Cell service can be patchy at best. Follow the directions on the website for the most accurate way to arrive safely at the location.
Wear sunblock. You will be out in the sun for the good part of an hour, so make sure to take precaution to protect your skin.
There will be tons of bees. Don’t freak out. This kind of goes without saying, but when you visit a bee farm in Hawaii or anywhere else, there WILL BE TONS OF BEES! If you don’t like bees, or if you freak out easily, maybe reconsider visiting. There were a ton flying around, but they left us alone and were just doing their thing.
Things I learned…without giving the answers away
I’m obviously not going to elaborate too much on the answers (because I think you should visit and learn about them yourself from the tour), but I learned more about:
- What it means to have a truly organic bee farm
- How they actually use those smoker things
- The role of the queen and how they’re introduced into the hive
- Lifecycle and lifespan of bees
- How freaking delicious the honey is
Of course it was an amazing experience, set against the most picturesque backdrop that most visitors to Hawaii don’t get to see. Even if you don’t want to pay for the tour, it’s such a great place to visit and see a different side of Hawaii. A local side.
Would you ever consider visiting a bee farm in Hawaii?
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