
The History of Q-Bee Honey
During the summer of 2022 my brother from another mother, Dean Fechter, asked me, how would you like to have honeybee boxes on your farm?” I immediately thought of how much Charisse loves honey in her tea and as a sweetener, so, as I did when my real brother from another mother, Tony, asked me in 2020 at the start of Covid, “do you think we should buy a farm?” I simply said, why not, let’s do it!
Before I knew it, Dean invited Mike “the big guy” out to the farm to set up our first four boxes. With our first crop of sunflowers planted earlier in 2022 along with plenty of wildflowers, our first harvest at the end of the summer in 2022 produced the best honey I have ever tasted! I couldn’t believe how smooth and flavorful the honey was, it literally had a floral taste from the sunflowers we had planted. It was like tasting liquid gold!
Having a relatively modest harvest for our first run, we immediately started to give small jars to family and friends just out of curiosity to see what people thought. Much to our delight, but actually not surprising, the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The only thing I thought unusual was that I never knew how passionate people were about honey and its benefits! People immediately started asking us for more, and where could they buy it. Thus began the impetus for us to produce and make larger quantities of our local, pure, and ungraded honey available.
In 2023, we decided to double the number of boxes for greater honey production. Mike set up the new boxes, each with his queen. Despite the drought-like conditions in the early part of the summer, the fertile lands at QB Farms allowed enough floral growth, combined with a honeybee’s ability to travel close to 10 miles to pollinate. We had a very robust harvest in the middle of the summer, and then, a second harvest through the end of the summer, and finally, a third in October. The harvests once again produced the signature Q-Bee Honey floral taste and texture, resulting from our increased fields of sunflower seeds, buckwheat, pumpkin flowers, and fruit trees.
As the remodeling of the original dairy barn continues, we look forward to hopefully opening “Marley’s Ice Cream Shop” in 2024 out of the rebuilt milkhouse, serving delicious Cedar Crest Ice Cream. Once “Marley’s” is up and running we will have Q-Bee Honey available for sale at the farm. Until then, feel free to contact us with any questions about our unique local honey!

Available Sizes:
- 10oz (283g)
- 1lb 6oz (624g)
- 2lb 12oz (1247g)
Have questions about our unique local honey?
The Benefits of Raw Honey
Since prehistoric times, honey has been enjoyed for its flavor and medicinal properties! With over 300 known varieties noted worldwide, a myriad of benefits have been reported extensively throughout the literature across the globe. Naturally speaking, raw honey is now recognized as the most nutritious and tastiest sweetener available!
Although a healthy alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners, most brands of honey found on grocery store shelves are commercially processed. This means that the natural form is altered significantly, to enhance the flavor, appearance, color, and texture for mass production and sales. Unfortunately, the extreme heat used during the process of pasteurization results in the loss of nutrients, reducing the health benefits of many commercially sold honey brands.
This abundance of published research repeatedly supports the numerous medicinal properties of honey. To name just a few, the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer effects are responsible for honey’s usefulness as a healing aid in wound care, digestive difficulties, and respiratory illnesses.
Furthermore, leading health authorities have endorsed honey’s medicinal value. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have expressed support for the use of HONEY as a natural cough remedy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of some medical-grade honey products for wound care. The hydrating, soothing, and healing qualities of honey have been promoted in cosmetic formulations for skin cleansers, moisturizers, and sunburn relief.
Please visit our amazing beekeeper’s Facebook page for fun facts and videos on beekeeping and the harvesting of locally produced honey.
Until next time…….stay sweet, honey!
Yours truly,
Dr. Charisse
Q-Bee Honey | Covered Bridge Estate
