Question 1

What’s included with the ‘Bee’come a Beekeeper Tour?

Accepted Answer

Each 1.5 hour tour starts with some fun facts and education on bees and beekeeping. Then you will take part in a mini honey tasting (different than the full sensory honey tasting tour), and finally, you will be provided with full protective beekeeping gear, including bee suit, hood, and gloves to wear.  You will get to see behind the scenes, inside the hive, and will have the opportunity to hold a frame of bees for a photo opportunity to wow your friends and family.  (Our gloves work with smartphones. You should never remove your gloves to take a photo.) Hive opened weather permitting.

Question 2

What kind of weather is needed for tours?

Accepted Answer

Beekeeping is weather and bee dependent.  Tours may be cancelled is there is rain or if the temperature falls under 55 degrees (as this puts their brood, or babies, at risk).  If a tour is cancelled, we will contact you via email the morning of the beekeeping tour and you will be issued a full refund.

Question 3

What can I expect on a beekeeping tour?

Accepted Answer

You will hear the calming buzz of thousands of bees as you wear a full-protective suit in the apiary.  Our bees are typically gentle and are busy minding their own "beeswax" and aren't concerned with visitors. You will get to view the bees and their activities up close and personal as you observe their work and their behaviors in the hive.  The beekeeper will point out what they are doing and you may even see the queen.  Each visitor can hold a frame of bees / honey to capture in a great photo opportunity. 
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The beekeeper may use a smoker to calm the bees, if needed (not typically necessary).  Please be aware that the smoker has an odor similar to a campfire and that you may smell like smoke after the tour, if it is used.  It is a safety measure that is only used if needed, and it is part of a beekeeper's daily life.  
You can also expect a short walk on uneven ground to get to the hives, so please consider this as you book your tour.

Question 4

What should I wear? What should I avoid before a tour?

Accepted Answer

Please wear closed shoes and ideally boots that cover your ankles.  If you don't have those, we do have some extra pairs on hand, but we can't guarantee that we will have your size.  We also have extra fresh socks to wear, if you need to borrow them to wear with boots. Wear whatever you are comfortable in. You do not need to wear heavy clothing like jeans and a sweatshirt underneath it, and especially not on a hot day.  People can wear shorts and skirts, so just wear whatever you have on.
 
You can bring your camera or smartphone for pictures. Photography is welcome and we have special beekeeping gloves that work with smartphones.  
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Bees don't like the smell of bananas, so please avoid eating those the day of our tour.  Bees also don't like strong scents, so please avoid wearing perfume and cologne to the tour.

Question 5

What if I am allergic to bee stings?

Accepted Answer

If you have a known allergy, please don't book the beekeeping tour.  Instead, we recommend a honey tasting experience to enjoy.
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We do keep an epi pen on hand and have a first aid kit on-site, if needed.

Question 6

Are children welcome?

Accepted Answer

Well behaved children ages 6+ are welcome and must be accompanied by a parent / guardian and that person must sign off on a hold harmless waiver for their child(ren).  We have a variety of sizes of suits, hoods, and gloves to fit children.

Question 7

Will I get stung?

Accepted Answer

We have never had anyone get stung on a bee tour. It is highly unlikely that you would get stung, but we cannot guarantee that.  Our bees are very gentle, and we use a smoker to calm them.  We use precautions, such as protective gear to help prevent you from getting stung. We have all attendees assume  the responsibility that they could get stung, and each person must sign a liability waiver / hold harmless agreement.  We don't want you to get stung, and the bees will die after they sting you, so we want to ensure everyone's safety the best we can.  As in any agritourism experience, there is an amount of risk involved, as livestock can be unpredictable.

Question 8

How many people are allowed per tour?

Accepted Answer

To ensure a quality experience for all, we typically limit the number of guests to 15 per beekeeping tour.

For more information on booking a large group or private event please Contact Us for a customized experience.

Question 9

View our Booking Policies and Hold Harmless Waiver

Question 10

Are private tours available?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We love private tours for groups.  This allows us to tailor your tour to your needs.  Please contact us at drycreektoursandtastings@gmail.com or call us at 815-297-3366 to set up your private tour date and time.

Question 11

Are accommodations available for those with disabilities?

Accepted Answer

We try our best to accommodate customer needs.   Please contact us to discuss your individual needs.

Question 12

Is there a bathroom on site?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there is a port-a-potty onsite with sanitizer and a hand washing station on site.

Question 13

Do I have to wear a beekeeping suit?

Accepted Answer

You have the choice of wearing a beekeeping suit or going into our bee-free, screened in shelter. You just need to indicate your preference upon checkout. No one can be among the bees without wearing a suit or being in the shelter.

Question 14

What if I need to cancel my reservation?

Accepted Answer

A full refund is available if a cancellation is made within 72 hours of the scheduled tour, 24-72 hours= 50% refund and less than 24 hours = no refund.  However, this is subject to a small fee that we incur from our provider, and we pass that fee on to the customer.  Please review our detailed tour cancellations and refund policy.

Question 15

What time should I / we arrive?

Accepted Answer

For the safety of our guests and to get our tours started on time, please arrive 10 minutes before the start of your tour.  We will start promptly at your tour time.  You will have time after your tour to purchase gifts or honey in our gift shop before you leave, if you choose.
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The group before you will be departing, so please do not park them in, as they need to leave to provide you with a parking spot.
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When you arrive and park, please go to the right side of the building to enter through the side door.

Question 16

Can I add a honey bar tasting to our tour?

Accepted Answer

This is a great way to enjoy all that we have to offer! We recommend allowing 30-45 minutes for enjoying B's Honey Bar.  If you are doing an 11:00 Beekeeping Tour, you can enjoy the Honey Bar and shop the gift shop after your tour is completed at 12:30.  If you are doing the 3:00 Beekeeping Tour, you can enjoy the Honey Bar and gift shop by arriving 45 minutes prior to the start of your tour.

Question 17

What can you tell me about the beekeeping suits?

Accepted Answer

Our suits are unisex sizes and fit kids from age 6, on up to adults.  Our largest suit size fits a 60" waist (6XL-7XL).  It's always best to wear a suit that is one size up from your regular size, as bigger is better. Our suits are triple-layer mesh, so they are breathable, but are thick enough that a bee's stinger doesn't go through. You can be confident in these high quality suits that you will be very well protected.

Question 18

What is the difference between a full sensory honey tasting and a Honey Bar Tasting?

Accepted Answer

The full- sensory honey tastings are a longer more in-depth class experience with 6-8 specially curated honeys. You will learn about how bees make honey and honey sommelier techniques for tasting honey.  These are set up as special events with advance registration required. 
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The Honey Bar tastings are more causal, self-guided experience of following our menu and tasting guides to sample up to 20 different honeys from around the world at the Honey Bar at Dry Creek Beekeeping. See available walk-in sampling times in our calendar on the main page. Plan for about 45 minutes for your tasting and shopping experience. We offer a walk-in self-guided honey tasting experience at B's Honey Bar - $10 and no reservations needed- at the farm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9:30-11:00, 12:30- 3:00 and Thursdays 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM.  All honeys in the tasting bar are available for sale.
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Our full sensory 1.5 hour honey tastings can be booked for your private party or on one of our event dates.  They are great for a gathering of friends, family, teammates, or co-workers, as well as bridal showers ("bride to bee", or "she found her honey"), baby showers ("mom / dad to bee"), celebration ("have you heard the buzz?"), birthday ("happy bee-day"), 1st birthday ("sweet as can bee"), and more! We host our honey tastings off-site and can either come to your location or can help you secure a location.

Question 19

What can I expect at a 1.5 hour full-sensory honey tasting?

Accepted Answer

Each tasting begins with some fun interactive trivia about bees and honey to get everyone involved.  Next you will learn how bees make honey and how honey gets its color, aroma, and flavor. 
 
Given that many​ people have only tasted clover honey from the store.  We will have several unique and different honeys from around the United States on hand to sample, ranging from light to medium to dark honey as well as a variety of textures of honey, including crystallized, creamed, and from the comb. 
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Most people describe the taste of honey as sweet, so during this tasting, we will help you to identify the many flavors of honey and help you to describe those tastes.  You will learn how to properly taste honey, as it is a full experience that engages many of our senses including sight, smell, taste, and touch. Each attendee will use a color and flavor wheel to assign words to what they are experiencing with these new flavors.  It can be difficult to find the words to describe what you are tasting.  Attendees will keep notes with their thoughts on each honey and we will compare and contrast these among the group.

Question 20

Where can I find special event listings? How can I book a tasting?

Accepted Answer

Please check our bookings on the main page of this website or check out our Facebook page to see if there is an event date / time that works for you.  If you want to host an event, please contact us at drycreektoursandtastings@gmail.com. 
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Please be sure to like and follow our Facebook page to get notices of all of our events and to keep up on our bees and happenings at the apiary.

Question 21

Who should do a honey tasting?

Accepted Answer

Anyone who wants to have fun, enjoys learning, likes to try something new, or loves honey! It is an engaging and interactive, educational activity to do with friends, or to get to meet new friends. It is the perfect event for all* ages and abilities!    It is a wonderful alternative to an alcohol tasting, or it can be paired with alcohol at your event. Honey tastings are perfect for couples, friends, groups, and foodies.
 
You may choose to come up with food pairings or a charcuterie board, if you host your own event, and we can help you determine the best cheeses to match with our honey varieties we will taste. Our honey tasting events do not come with food, but you may add it to your private tasting if you wish. You may provide your own or we can suggest local providers who make charcuterie boards.)
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*Do not feed honey to children under the age of one.

Frequently asked questions