The Christ the King community maintains two apiaries as part of our stewardship of the natural environment. Our bees colonies provide us an example of how collaborative living can elevate a community above the sum of its individuals. Our volunteer beekeeping team strives to keep our bees healthy, and to increase awareness of the importance of pollinators in the Great Falls area.
Join the Hive
You can meet the bees yourself! Come “bee” a part of our apiary community as a regular volunteer or just visit to see in person how amazing they truly are. Reservations are required and all beekeeping equipment is supplied.
Our tiny friends are fascinating creatures and we are always learning something new from them. Come see for yourself!
Follow Our Bees
Harvesting Honey and Other Chores
Meteorological spring ended June 1st and temperatures have begun to regularly touch the 90s. With the change in seasons comes the end of the main nectar flow in Northern Virginia. In the apiaries, we are seeing the field bees bringing back white clover, “ditch” lily (Hemerocallis fulva) and Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) pollen in…
Mating Colonies, Swarms, Splits, and a New Yard
Since posting last time, we have been busy with the bees. We have configured one of our hives to serve as an incubator for the new queens we are raising to requeen our hives; we have taken young larvae from one of our strongest hives and placed them in this incubator; and we have harvested…
Spring Build-Up with Gratitude
The coming week is expected to be unseasonably warm. This follows what has generally been a warmer than average spring. This means that lots of plants are in bloom. We are seeing the bees work Star Magnolia, Elm, Lesser Celandine, Hairy Bittercress, Dandelion, Silver and Red Maple and Russian Olive all in bloom. Our colonies…