http://www.oakcliffbeecompany.com/

Oak Cliff Bee Company, Dallas, TX (2026)

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at Oak Cliff Bee Company!

This time of year always makes us pause and reflect. We’re genuinely thankful for the people we get to work alongside—our partners, our clients, our friends, and everyone who’s supported what we’re building. None of it happens without trust, shared values, and a whole lot of good people.

We’re proud of the work, grateful for the relationships, and excited about what’s ahead—but for now, we hope you’re able to slow down, enjoy some good food, laugh with family and friends, and get a little rest.

Wishing you a warm, joyful holiday season and a great start to the new year.

12/20/2025

5 SURPRISING BEE FACTS THAT WILL CHANGE HOW YOU SEE HONEYBEES

Think you know bees? Think again. Here are five fascinating facts about honeybees that still surprise even experienced beekeepers:

1. Bees can recognize human faces.
Research shows that honeybees can distinguish between different human faces using visual processing similar to our own. They can learn, remember, and differentiate—remarkable abilities for an insect with a brain the size of a sesame seed.

2. One bee makes only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
That single jar of honey represents the collective life’s work of thousands of bees. Suddenly, real local honey feels a lot more valuable.

3. Bees have five eyes.
Two large compound eyes sit on the sides of their head, while three smaller eyes on top help detect light and navigate. Bees can also see ultraviolet patterns on flowers that are completely invisible to humans.

4. The waggle dance is a true language.
When a forager finds a strong nectar source, she performs a precise figure-eight dance that tells other bees the direction, distance, and quality of the food. It’s one of the most sophisticated forms of communication found outside the human world.

5. Bees can count and understand zero.
Studies have shown that honeybees can recognize numbers, identify patterns, and even grasp the abstract concept of “nothing.” They’re far more intelligent than most people realize.

Bonus fact
Bees have been around for over 100 million years—pollinating flowering plants long before humans ever existed. We’re still uncovering just how advanced, adaptable, and essential they are.

The more you learn about bees, the clearer it becomes: they’re not just insects. They’re engineers, navigators, chemists, and communicators working together in one of nature’s most refined systems.

What’s the most surprising bee fact you’ve heard? Share it in the comments—we’re always learning.

Interested in bringing honeybees to your corporate campus and giving your team a front-row seat to this incredible system at work?
Let’s talk. [email protected]

12/19/2025

URBAN BEEKEEPING: BRINGING NATURE BACK TO THE CITY

Urban beekeeping is thriving—from rooftops and hotels to corporate campuses and schools. Cities and honeybees are a natural fit, and here’s why it works so well:

Why Urban Beekeeping Works

Cities provide diverse, season-long forage through flowering trees, parks, gardens, and planters.

Urban environments often support healthier colonies due to reduced large-scale agricultural chemical exposure.

Warmer microclimates extend the bees’ active season and reduce winter stress.
Organizations integrate hives into sustainability, ESG, education, and employee engagement initiatives.

Benefits of Urban Hives

Bees support pollination in community gardens, rooftop farms, and urban green spaces.
Hives become living classrooms that connect people to ecosystems, food systems, and biodiversity.

Urban honey reflects the unique character and flavor of each neighborhood.
Corporate hive programs create meaningful, hands-on experiences that teams genuinely enjoy.

Best Practices

Thoughtful hive placement in low-traffic areas
Consistent water access
Professional care and routine inspections
Education and storytelling to build community support

The Bottom Line

Urban beekeeping transforms cities into pollinator havens, strengthens local ecosystems, and reconnects people with nature—while producing truly local honey.

Interested in bringing bees to your property or campus?

Let’s talk. Email us - [email protected]

12/19/2025

TOP 10 THINGS EVERY FIRST-YEAR BEEKEEPER SHOULD KNOW

Starting beekeeping is one of the most rewarding, humbling, and occasionally hilarious journeys you can take. Here are ten things I wish someone had told me in year one:

1. You will get stung. Make peace with it.
No matter how careful you are, it happens. Most stings are preventable with calm movements and proper protective gear. And yes—you build a tolerance over time.

2. Your bees don’t read the books.
Beekeeping manuals are helpful, but bees have their own plans. They’ll ignore perfect comb, swarm when conditions seem “wrong,” and thrive where they shouldn’t. Stay flexible.

3. Start with two hives, not one.
A second hive gives you a reference point. You can compare behavior, troubleshoot issues, and even save a struggling colony by borrowing resources. One hive leaves you guessing; two accelerate learning.

4. Inspect with intention, not obsession.
Opening a hive too often stresses the colony. During the active season, inspect every 7–10 days and always with a purpose—checking brood, space, pests, or queen performance.

5. The queen is everything.
A strong queen drives a strong hive. Learn to recognize healthy brood patterns and know when a queen is failing. If she isn’t performing, nothing else will fully compensate.

6. Feed when needed, not on impulse.
New colonies, early spring, and post-harvest periods often require supplemental feeding. Monitor stores and feed appropriately—don’t assume the bees will always figure it out.

7. Varroa mites are the real enemy.
Varroa destructor is the leading cause of colony loss. Test regularly and treat when thresholds are exceeded. Ignoring mites almost always leads to dead hives.

8. You probably won’t harvest honey in year one.
First-year colonies need their honey to survive winter. Let them keep it. The real win in year one is a healthy, overwintered hive.

9. Find your bee people.
Join a local club, take a class, or find a mentor. Beekeeping has a steep learning curve, and the community is full of people who want to help you succeed.

10. Trust the bees.
They’ve been doing this for millions of years. Your role isn’t control—it’s support. Provide space, monitor for problems, and then step back.

Bonus tip
Keep a hive journal. Write down what you see, what you do, and what happens next. You’ll forget more than you think, and those notes become invaluable.

First-year beekeeping is messy, magical, and full of “wait, what?” moments. Embrace it. You’re learning a craft that connects you to nature, food systems, and a community of people who can’t walk past a flower without stopping.

Welcome to the hive.

Interested in bringing beekeeping to your corporate campus with professional support?
Let’s talk.

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

12/14/2025

Last Saturday, Mount St. Michael Catholic School Bee Club students got to experience full-cycle agriculture — from raising bees to selling their own honey at the Winnetka Heights Holliday Home Tour.

Thanks to the incredible community support, the Bee Club raised $618.50, which will go toward new bee suits and expanding the program with more bees.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make this possible and supported these young beekeepers.

12/10/2025

Out at the University of Dallas today doing hive inspections with students.

Getting hands-on in the hives—checking colony health, food stores, and overall conditions—is always rewarding, but even more so when it’s part of an educational experience. Getting everyone suited up, asking great questions, and engaging directly with real, working honey bee colonies is exactly how you build lasting connections to agriculture and sustainability.

12/08/2025

Out at Bonton Farms this weekend doing real, hands-on beekeeping work.

With the recent colder weather, there was very little brood—if any—and the colonies were fully clustered, staying home and conserving heat. That made it the ideal window to feed sugar fondant and treat for Varroa mites using vaporized oxalic acid, a highly effective approach when brood levels are low.

One thing people don’t always realize: bees don’t get “put away” for winter. And neither do we. While some providers pause service during the colder months, we continue caring for our hives year-round—monitoring food stores, managing pests, and making the small, timely interventions that determine whether colonies survive winter and thrive in spring.

This quiet season is where strong colonies are made. Sustainability isn’t seasonal—it’s consistency, experience, and showing up when it matters most.

Grateful to partner with Bonton Farms, where agriculture, food access, and community impact come together every day.

12/03/2025

Pop-Up Alert! 🍯🐝

Oak Cliff Bee Company is set up today at Hall Park and McKinney & Olive with a special pop-up shop — and we’d love to see you!

If you’ve got some time over the next couple of hours, swing by to shop local honey, handcrafted hive products, and learn a little about how corporate beekeeping supports pollinators and sustainability across North Texas.

These events are some of our favorites — getting to meet tenants, answer bee questions, and share a taste of what their on-site hives are producing.

Come say hi, grab a jar, and support the bees. 🐝
Hope to see you soon!

11/26/2025

We decided to try something different this year and entered the fall honey from Greenhill Tower into the show. It didn’t take home a ribbon, but the judge’s feedback says everything:

“𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚-𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙.”

This is exactly why on-property hives matter — every building produces its own micro-terroir of honey. Greenhill Tower’s bees created something truly unique, and we’re proud to showcase it.

11/25/2025

Winter Prep at Oak Cliff Bee Company.

As temperatures start to dip, our colonies shift into conservation mode — clustering together, reducing activity, and relying heavily on stored honey to stay warm and fed.

To give them an extra layer of security, we provide sugar fondant during the coldest months. Think of it as an emergency pantry:
🍬 A dense, slow-consuming food source
❄️ Ideal for days when it’s too cold for bees to break cluster
🛡️ A simple way to ensure they have what they need to make it through winter strong

It’s a small step with a big impact. Healthy, well-supported bees today mean thriving hives, stronger spring populations, and more pollination across Texas tomorrow.

Caring for bees isn’t seasonal — it’s year-round stewardship.
And we’re proud to keep our colonies warm, fed, and ready for the year ahead.

11/24/2025

Fun weekend for the Oak Cliff Bee Company team at the Texas Beekeepers Association Annual Convention!

Shannon LaGrave absolutely dominated — blue ribbon in mead, Best in Show, and achieved Texas Master Beekeeper - Master Craftsman certification. One of only a handful in the entire state to reach this level. Total rock star.

Her wins power our mission: pushing sustainable, Texas-rooted beekeeping forward and strengthening pollinator habitats across our communities.

Proud of Shannon. Proud of our team. Proud of the impact we’re making.

11/24/2025

Huge Weekend for Shannon LaGrave at the Texas Beekeepers Association Honey Show!

Proud moment for our Oak Cliff Bee Company family — Shannon LaGrave absolutely crushed it at the Texas Beekeepers Association Honey Show this weekend.

She brought home:

🏅 Blue Ribbon – Traditional Mead
🏅 Blue Ribbon – Fruit Mead
🏅 Blue Ribbon – Specialty Mead
🏆 Best in Show – Mead Category
🥉 3rd Place – Beeswax Block & Candle

Shannon’s talent, craftsmanship, and passion for the craft of beekeeping and mead-making continue to set the bar for all of us. This is what dedication, skill, and genuine love for the bees looks like.

If you see her, congratulate her — she earned every bit of it! 🙌🐝

Oak Cliff Bee Company

12/25/2025

12/20/2025

12/19/2025

12/19/2025

12/14/2025

12/10/2025

12/08/2025

12/03/2025

11/26/2025

11/25/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category