BEE PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS

Bees are fascinating creatures, and we can learn so much by studying how they live. At The Valley Hive, educating the public about the importance of honey bees is our passion. Whether it’s spreading the buzz about why we need bees or helping new beekeepers start a backyard hive, we take pride in being a valuable resource to the community for all things honey bees!

Our fully functional in store Observation Hive is available for viewing during our regular business hours six days a week at our Chatsworth location. One of our friendly staff is on hand to introduce the bees to visitors and share the many fun facts with them. For instance: did you know that bees need to visit 2 million flowers just to make a 1lb jar of honey? A bee makes only about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime!! “Busy as a bee” is a true statement, as you will no doubt find out.

Inside the Observation Hive, bees can be seen coming in and out of the glass enclosed hive, processing the nectar into honey, building comb, and bringing in brightly colored balls of pollen. You may even spot the queen, with her attendants in tow, as she goes from cell to cell laying eggs. During Spring, a queen bee can lay up to 2,000 eggs in a single day!

BEE PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS

Want to learn more? The Valley Hive is available for private presentations and special events. Over the past six years, we have lectured about bees for schools, camps, clubs, corporations, religious groups, and many other community-based organizations.

A typical presentation lasts about an hour and depending on the area of interest, we will create a custom program that is catered specifically to the needs of your group. Learn about the history of beekeeping, bee biology, why bees sting, how bees make honey, the importance of pollination and so much more!

To find out more about our presentations and events, give us a call at 818-280-6500 or send an email to info@thevalleyhive.com.

Presentations do not include going into beehives. If you are interested in visiting our bee yard, please check out our Beekeeping Experience Page.

ANNUAL HONEY & RECIPE COMPETITION

Every August, hundreds of people flock to Chatsworth for The Valley Hive’s Annual Honey & Recipe Competition. What began as a celebration for National Honeybee Day, has turned into our biggest and most well-attended gala of the year.

Past competition winners and other “volunteers” have the unenviable task of judging all the entries and that means tasting over 50 honey submissions. Talk about sugar overload! That’s a lot of sweetness, even for the most die-hard honey enthusiast. After the winners have been determined, all items are available for tasting. Honey participants generously donate a jar from the prized batch to be auctioned off as part of the fundraising portion of the event. Each year, funds are raised in a variety of ways and money is donated to a well-deserving non-profit charity to further bee research in an effort to help save the buzz.

This annual event is free to the community and features local crafts people, unique vendors, entertainment, honey tasting, games, and lots of fun activities for the kids. Perhaps the most popular attractions for the over 21 crowd is the bar, featuring an array of honey inspired cocktails. Sadly, in 2020, due to Covid-19, we were unable to hold this event. However, we look forward to the day in the near future when we can once again raise a glass and toast our favorite pollinator with all of you.

Catch up on the latest buzz and hive happening by following us on social media and be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be notified about upcoming events.