BeeBuilt

01/10/2026

As National Honey Month comes to a close, we’re celebrating one of the local beekeepers helping keep Portland sweet.

Fierro Forest Honey began with a few beehives and a connection to home. After moving from Texas to Portland, founder Erica Fierro started keeping bees as a way to carry on a tradition she’d shared with her father back home.

Today, that connection lives on through small-batch local honey, urban hives, pollinator-friendly gardens, and plenty of opportunities for other people to get a little closer to the world of bees.

We’re sharing the story behind Fierro Forest and the people, places, and pollinators at the heart of it over on the blog.

26/09/2026

24/09/2026

As the weather cools down, your hive starts looking pretty cozy to more than just the bees.

Mice are on the hunt for warm, dry places to spend the colder months, and a beehive stocked with honey can be an especially appealing piece of real estate.

A mouse guard helps keep them out without getting in the way of your bees. It reduces the entrance to a bee-sized opening, helping protect comb, stores, and the colony inside.

24/09/2026

As the weather cools down, your hive starts looking pretty cozy to more than just the bees.

Mice are on the hunt for warm, dry places to spend the colder months, and a beehive stocked with honey can be an especially appealing piece of real estate.

A mouse guard helps keep them out without getting in the way of your bees. It reduces the entrance to a bee-sized opening, helping protect comb, stores, and the colony inside.

We carry mouse guards made for both Langstroth and Warré hives, so you can button things up before any uninvited winter guests start house hunting. Find them here: https://beebuilt.com/search?type=product&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=Mouse%20guard*

23/09/2026

This single box cutie at Carly Thomasset is all ready for the cooler months ahead with a Bee Built Universal Hive Stand and Bee Snug Roof.

22/09/2026

It’s the first day of fall 🍂 The days are getting shorter, and cooler, and your colony has probably already taken the hint. Winter bees are arriving, brood rearing is slowing, and preparations for the colder months are well underway.

Which means it’s officially time for what we’ve been calling “hive winterization maxxing.”

Check food stores. Mind the moisture. Reduce entrances. Secure the roof. Give your equipment some attention. Basically, making sure the hive is ready for the cooler and wetter months ahead.

19/09/2026

Bumble bees are making the rounds on late summer and fall blooms. Most of the colony population is nearing the end of their life cycle, but newly mated queens have a winter ahead of them. They’ll tuck themselves into protected spots, often underground or beneath leaf litter, and wait for spring.

Want to help bumble bees this fall? Leave the late blooms, let some leaves lie, and keep a few corners of the garden wild and free.

18/09/2026

We spent a lovely fall day learning from today at her apiary in NE Portland. A perfect day to sport our veils 🌸💛

17/09/2026

Yesterday we took a fall field trip to see our friend Carly with Carly Thomasset at her apiary in NE Portland for a fall workshop. She shared hands on advice on what beekeepers should be watching for during hive checks this time of year. Our checklist:
🍯 Check honey and pollen stores
🐝 Assess brood and the developing winter-bee population
📏 Make sure the colony has the right amount of space

We brought along an Universal Hive Stand and Bee Snug Roof to start getting ready for winter (more on this in a winterization series to come) and was a perfect day to learn alongside other newer beekeepers. The bees were calm and our Bella Beek Worker Vests were perfect for the work 🌸💛

08/09/2026

September is National Honey Month 🍯 And here in Portland, we don’t have to go far to find people who are passionate about the many aspects of making honey.

We’re celebrating three makers in our own backyard, and each has a different story to tell:




Tell us, who’s making great honey in your neighborhood?