Meet the Bees in Jan’s Garden
In the spring of 2025, NTFB welcomed beehives in partnership with Oak Cliff Bee Co. The bees pollinate produce and flowers in the garden (as well as around NTFB) and also produce honey that is available in NTFB’s Harvest Market.
In partnership with Oak Cliff Bee Co., North Texas Food Bank has beehives in the corner of Jan’s Garden.
Master Beekeeper Shannon LaGrave and the team at Oak Cliff Bee Co., which specializes in corporate hive management, maintains the hives at NTFB, visiting regularly to ensure the queen and worker bees are thriving and that no pests or diseases have taken root.
“To me it’s like breathing,” says Shannon, who began beekeeping as a student in Collin County. “We’re looking for patterns and to make sure it’s functioning well.”
Shannon also teaches lessons on bees during NTFB’s Kids Camp. It’s estimated that around a third of the world’s food supply depends on pollination, and when a piece of produce is not pollinated by bees, Shannon says, you can tell. They’re often lopsided and less flavorful. Having a hive in Jan’s Garden ensures the plethora of vegetables, leafy greens, berries and flowers being grown will have the chance for visits and pollination by bees.
And while Shannon knows the buzz of a hive can instigate fear, she also wants people to learn that there’s no reason to be scared when observing bees from a distance.
“This is a stinging insect, so we don’t need to swat at it,” she explains. “We can observe or move away from it. It’s doing its job by pollinating flowers.”
Oak Cliff Bee Co. Founder Chris Chance says they have hives at businesses and hotels throughout the area, all with the goal of promoting sustainability and raising awareness of the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
“We have to keep pollinators around if we want to keep producing citrus and nutritious food,” Chris says. “Every third bite of food is the result of a pollinator.”
Plus, adds, Shannon, bees are amazing. “They’re enlightening and joyful and we get to bring that to people,” she says.
Facts to Buzz About:
- Honeybees can travel up to a 12-mile radius from their hives, but usually pollinate within a few miles.
- Queen bees lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, and when a queen is missing from her colony, you often hear a dull roaring sound.
- Each worker bee produces roughly 1/12th a drop of honey and honey is only produced after bees regurgitate the nectar they’ve gathered.
- Different pollen creates different flavors, textures and colors of honey. Most Texas honey is darker.
- Oak Cliff Bee Co. maintains the hive as well as hives throughout the metroplex, including at other businesses and hotels, like the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, which uses the honey its hive makes in their restaurant.
- In their first season at NTFB, the two hives produced nearly 4 galloons of honey, which is a large amount for a first-year hive.
Visit the following links to learn more about Jan’s Garden and how you can give or volunteer.