Bee to Crop
We’re looking for agriculturists in the Calgary area to partner with and provide long lasting pollinating services, free of charge!
We are taking a new approach to small-scale, bee-centric beekeeping. By learning from expert beekeepers across Canada and the behaviour of wild honeybee colonies in North America, we have developed a strategy to bring more bees into our local communities while respecting the wants and needs of the hive.
Our method is simple, bring our bees to your crops. With Savage Love Apiculture provides free, fully managed honeybee colonies to local agriculturists through our Bee to Crop partnerships. Bee to Crop partners benefits from the pollinating power of the colonies housed on their land – we take care of the rest.
With our partners, we can provide our bees with the abundant space between colonies they desire in the wild. Greater spacing between hives focuses on the instinctive goals of honeybees while supporting natural Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to produce strong, healthy colonies. We want to properly support the bees who support us.
Staying local and putting money back into our communities is at the heart of this project. Not only do we seek out local agriculturists for hive housing opportunities, but we hope the connections we make provide meaningful value to each partner and better connect our communities to the essential work they do. All Bee to Crop partners are given recognition through our platforms and honey production as thanks for their contribution to our initiative and Canadian agriculture.
Service Area
With Savage Love Apiculture services the surrounding Calgary region, including urban areas. The map below provides apporixmate service limits for our Bee to Crop partnerships.
To learn more about our Bee to Crop program, or to see if you can benefit from our bees, please contact us at jamie.savage@withsavagelove.ca!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are honeybee hives safe?
Absolutely! Honeybees are gentles creatures who are busy foraging and building their hives. There is no greater risk to being stung when you are in close proximity to the hive because the bees quickly scatter after leaving home. If there are known honeybee allergies, it is important to be more mindful about our interactions with the colonies, however, no additional precautions are required.
What liabilities are Bee to Crop partners resonsible for?
No liabilities, no risks, just pollination. All of our managed honeybee colonies are registered with the province of Alberta under With Savage Love Apiculture. This means we are legally responsible for the care, maintenance, and safety considerations of our hives. Bee to Crop partnerships provide permission for With Savage Love to house hives on the partner’s property, nothing more.
Do Bee to Crop partners receive any revenue from the sale of honeybee products?
Bee to Crop partners benefit from the pollinating power of the honeybee colonies, not revenue made from product sales. As an emerging non-profit, all profit gained is reinvested into future projects and hives. Using this strategy, we are able to provide more colonies to more partners and further our goal of supporting honeybee populations and the communities they serve.
Who manages the hives?
I do! With Savage Love Apiculture is currently a one woman show. I created the Bee to Crop program to begin my journey as a hobby apiarist and connect with people in my community who share a love for the earth.
How do I know if my property is a suitable Bee Yard?
Don’t worry, we’ll let you know. Before committing to the location of new bee hives, a full assessment on the potential location of the hive is performed to ensure the honeybees will be protected from the elements, have abundant food source, and be adequately sheltered from agricultural work. The hive boxes are the colony’s main protection, most areas surrounded by flowering crops are perfect to set up shop.