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 Honey Bee on Borage Plant |
 Byron Martin and His Bee Hives that he hand-made this year! |
| What better place then at Logee’s to keep bees. Byron Martin, owner and horticulturist at Logee’s Plants has a weekend hobby. He’s a beekeeper. And, for those of you who know Byron, when he has a passion for something, it always shows in a big way! Last year, Byron worked only two hives. Last year, his two hives produced over 50 pounds of honey. |
 Two Hives which will produce over 100 pounds of honey this year |
| He wanted to see if he could re-kindle his love for bee-keeping that he had in his early twenties. Well not only did he re-kindle his love for bees, he ignited an interest that blazed a trail in at least four adjacent towns. |
 Swarm Boxes, which are used in hopes of collecting feral bees |
| Before I knew it all of our friends had swarm boxes on their property. Then, of course, being plant people, we planted bee, hummingbird, and butterfly plants to attract the honey bees. |
 Notice the dragon-fly enjoying the Borage flowers |
 Hissop (hissopus officinalis) |
 Small-leaved Basil is another winner for honey bees |
 Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) an abundant roadside source of pollen |
| Now going on his second year, Byron has expanded his bee hives to 20 more boxes. |
 Lots of Hives with aluminum roofs to reflect the sun |
| His passion and enthusiasm for bringing back the pollinators and bringing a natural balance to our world was contagious. We planted over two-hundred pollinator plants and filled the Labyrinth at Logee’s with pollinator plants. |
 The Labyrinth at Logee's is filled with pollinator plants |
| In the Labyrinth- the inner ring has Holy Basil (tulsi), then borage, sweet clover,buckwheat, hissop, and calamentha. Hissops, Sedum ‘Autmun Joy’, Agastache and Calamentha have long blooming periods, attract butterflies, solitary bees, bumble bees, honey bees and beneficial insects that are good for predators. He likes these flowers for the pollinators because they bloom late in the season and when flowers are waning these plants still give a source of nectar. |
 Anise Hissop 'Golden Jubilee' |
 Echinacea 'Hot Summer' - this colorful coneflower adds cheer to any garden |
| What’s most important to Byron is to raise Bee’s without chemicals and treat them naturally. He wants to get the genetics of the bees strong to re-colonize the honey bees. If you would like to talk with him further about honey bees, you can contact him at [email protected] |
 More of Byron's Hives on a Southern Slope |