Milk & Honey Farmhouse Apiary

Milk & Honey Farmhouse Apiary Eleven years of backyard beekeeping and artisan goats milk soaps. Note the location has changed to Saint Paul, Mo.

Formerly known as Shapfield Farm, M&H Farmhouse Apiary sharing all things bees, gardening, canning & cooking.

And then there were ELEVEN……How? I shared a swarm in the yard in a previous post that we caught ( #8)Then I also did a...
06/07/2026

And then there were ELEVEN……

How? I shared a swarm in the yard in a previous post that we caught ( #8)

Then I also did a couple splits with new Queens in April ( #’s 4 & 7).

Not intentional, but I had additional Queens needing to be placed in May ( #’s 2 & 5). I “thought” I had some Queenless hives but I was wrong. Queens were $55 each so I needed to put to use.

It’s funny, in addition to the cost of bees 🐝 there becomes the necessity for more equipment to house them. Thank goodness I am not into expensive jewelry, purses, etc. BEES 🐝 are my BLING!!! 💎

Trimmed the scapes from the garlic. Next up pesto. A mild yummy garlic flavor. Will freeze in ice cube tray for easy ...
05/29/2026

Trimmed the scapes from the garlic. Next up pesto. A mild yummy garlic flavor. Will freeze in ice cube tray for easy use in quiche, pasta or pizza!

Beeswax Daisy Candles, wedding favors.
05/11/2026

Beeswax Daisy Candles, wedding favors.

Swarm - it’s the same tree every time. Thankful to have retrieved this one. It was huge.
05/10/2026

Swarm - it’s the same tree every time. Thankful to have retrieved this one. It was huge.

Personalized Wedding Favors. 4 ounces of honey or can be smaller.
05/09/2026

Personalized Wedding Favors. 4 ounces of honey or can be smaller.

May 3rd and there is some capped honey in several hives. Will pull honey 1st or 2nd week in June to extract and bottle....
05/05/2026

May 3rd and there is some capped honey in several hives.

Will pull honey 1st or 2nd week in June to extract and bottle. The frames will go back to the 🐝 🐝 to continue to clean and refill.

Test 🔥 burn for wicks is good. Proceeding with 100 beeswax candles “Meant to Bee” wedding reception / shower gifts. Th...
04/11/2026

Test 🔥 burn for wicks is good. Proceeding with 100 beeswax candles “Meant to Bee” wedding reception / shower gifts. These are spoken for. 🙂 🐝 💕

It’s windy and the bees are working hard to steady they’re flight coming in. Yes, quite a bit of dandelion pollen and a...
04/09/2026

It’s windy and the bees are working hard to steady they’re flight coming in. Yes, quite a bit of dandelion pollen and a little others too.

04/09/2026

Thousands of bees cluster in silence, not to strike, but to wait.

What looks like danger is often a colony between decisions.

But the part most people miss is what that pause actually means.

When a hive divides, the old queen leaves with a large portion of workers, forming a temporary mass on a branch or structure. This cluster acts as a living shelter, wrapping tightly around the queen while scout bees spread out in search of a new site.

Each scout evaluates cavities by size, entrance shape, and protection, then returns to signal its findings through waggle dances. Over hours or even days, competing options are tested until the colony reaches a collective decision.

During this window, the swarm carries no young to defend and no stored honey to protect. Their priority is movement, not conflict, which makes them far less reactive than an established hive anchored to resources.

This is why experienced beekeepers can safely collect them, guiding the entire group into a new box before they relocate on their own.

What looks like a threat is actually a pause filled with purpose.

Been under the weather and running a fever -it’s that time of the year! Based on the chart below, going to see if I can...
04/08/2026

Been under the weather and running a fever -it’s that time of the year! Based on the chart below, going to see if I can detect any pollen coming in at the hives. There are dandelions everywhere!!!

Address

2020 Rocky Road Drive
Saint Paul, MO
63366

Telephone

+13143651414

Website

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