ISU Honey Apiary

The ISU Honey Apiary was established at the university's Horticulture Research Station, north of Ames, in 2020.

Although ISU has been conducting bee research and extension since the 19th century, the bee program established this new apiary specifically with honey production in mind. The project received start-up funding from the office of the Dean of the College of Agriculture. For its first year, our team established and maintained 20 cardinal and gold hives at the ISU Horticulture Research Station located north of Ames. Since then, the honey apiary has expanded along with our research. 

The apiary also serves as a beekeeping demonstration site and a space for collaborative beekeeping research. Students are invited to the apiary as part of an undergraduate beekeeping course for hands-on beekeeping experience. New beekeepers and community members interested in beekeeping may join our Open Apiary Days held once a month (June-October) to gain more hands-on experience beekeeping. 

Bottles of honey will be available seasonally for purchase through the Horticulture Research Station. It can also be purchased seasonally through the ISU Innovate 1858 store.

For more photos, check out the ISU bee program’s Instagram: @iowastatebees.