Video: all buzzing good family fun
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="232420,232419"] Hands-on bee farm tour a family hit, writes Sarah Dirsuwei of the Chasing the Rainbow blog
The Apiarist is run by owner Xander Rautenbach, who is both knowledgeable and passionate about bees.
His charmingly rustic shop is stocked full of strange looking equipment and beekeeping gizmos, gadgets and gear, and of course lots and lots of honey.Greeting us with a warm smile, Rautenbach welcomed us into his world of bees, making us feel right at home.
The kids immediately noticed the display of wide-brimmed hats with netting and zips and were delighted when Rautenbach dished out a set of overalls, jackets with attached cricket hats covered in mesh and two sets of gloves each. He gave us the low down on the layers of a bee box, what each item is for and how we were going to go about extracting some delicious raw honey.
Once donned in full protective gear, it felt like we were part of a cast for a sci-fi alien movie, all geared up in hazmat suits. With wide grins all round, we trudged in single file through fields peppered with bright yellow flowers to a grove of trees with rows of humming wooden boxes beneath.
Rautenbach showed us how to bellow puffs of smoke from the smoker and handed it to a delighted Caden to pump into the hive.
The smell of the smoke makes the bees think there is a nearby fire, distracting them from the invading humans and calming them by confusion.
Family beekeeping tours run every Monday and Friday at 9am and noon, as well as on selected Saturdays (minimum of four, maximum of six people). They cost R375 per person, which includes a hefty tub of your own harvested raw honey to take home. Bookings are essential. The Apiarist also offers educational tours for school groups of up to 40 children, supplies beekeeping and apiary equipment and sells raw honey on tap.
- Visit for full details.