Hive Five Apiary and Bee Supply wants beekeepers to succeed.
When Jeff and Kathy Allen decided to try beekeeping 14 years ago, it was all but impossible to find the requisite hardware, so everything had to be ordered in and neighbors relied on Mother Nature for a supply of bees. “I started building bee boxes, improving the design along the way, and letting folks know about it, all word of mouth,” says Jeff. “And since there was no supplier of bees, we decided why not get bees, too?”
Gabrielle Allen
Kathy recalls a time they were returning home in their SUV with a load of bees and stopped at a Chick-fil-A drive-thru. “When we rolled down the window, the cashier told us a bee just flew out of our car,” she says, chuckling. “We said we know, we’ve got 100,000 of them in here. We get funny looks when we drive home wearing hoods.”
Because they weren’t yet retired, time was at a premium, so they eventually had to scale back. Currently, their focus is on building the highest-quality beehives and hardware, a mission guided by Jeff’s insistence on finding the best possible way to do things. A basic beehive has top and bottom components, with two boxes with wax frames in between. “Most frames are plastic because wax frames can break in shipment,” Jeff says. “But bees don’t like plastic, so it’s kind of our specialty. Our products are a little high end, but they last forever.”
Gabrielle Allen
Dipping and soaking the boxes in an extremely hot wax blend allows the wax to permeate the wood and displace all the moisture.
Another way the hardware from Hive Five Apiary and Bee Supply excels is in its durability. Moisture is the enemy of long- lasting hives, meaning that the moisture created by bees causes the hives to rot from the inside. Dipping and soaking the boxes in an extremely hot wax blend allows the wax to permeate the wood and displace all the moisture. “That makes it as organic as possible and the hives are weather-resistant,” says Jeff. “Our standards are high. For years, we were the only ones east of Mississippi doing wax dipping.”
Additional boxes can extend honey production, increasing the hive’s height. Unlike commercial hives, which are typically held together with staples, Hive Five’s boxes are fastened with stainless steel screws because beehives get heavy. “The boxes weigh around 80 pounds with an active hive,” Jeff says. “But a full beehive can weigh 300 pounds, so it makes for a better foundation.”
Gabrielle Allen
The Allens consider bees a different kind of pet than cats or dogs, but equally satisfying in other ways, namely pollination. Local farmers and neighbors have a few hives, not for honey, but for pollination. “People do it because it’s a fascinating hobby or for environmental reasons,” Kathy says. “They know we’re not going to have wild hives anymore, so if we don’t keep bees, they’re not going to be around.”
Some beekeepers are in it for the honey, including the Allens who maintain enough hives to sell their honey to the neighbors and maintain Kathy’s stash. In the spring, their honey has flowery notes, while their fall honey is stronger, with musty notes that make it a great favorite of some customers. “Some people want to raise bees for honey to help with their seasonal allergies,” Jeff says. “Bees land on things like poison ivy and by eating that honey, you’re getting a micro-dose that increases your tolerance for it.”
In a busy, nonstop world, beekeeping is a way of learning calmness, which is required in dealing with tiny creatures who pick up on a handler’s agitation. “A honeybee might try to follow you if you smell good, but they’re not smart creatures,” Kathy says. “Just walk behind a tree and they’ll forget you. They’re not bright.”
Gabrielle Allen
Given the high-level products the Allens offer, it’s hardly surprising that they have a wide-ranging customer base regionally. But customers from Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina also seek them out. “We had folks from Napa Valley order from us because they couldn’t get what they wanted in California,” Jeff says. “I told them the shipping costs would be as expensive as the boxes, but they said we were the only ones who could supply what they wanted.”
As for who’s into beekeeping, a better question might be, who isn’t? They’ve dealt with doctors, lawyers, homesteaders and children. “We had a young woman who’d just won an Emmy for her documentary come in for supplies,” Jeff says. “Another time, a motorcycle club came in to learn about beekeeping. Everybody keeps bees.”
For now, Hive Five Apiary and Bee Supply’s general store in Tappahannock is open by appointment only, but it’s well worth a call to visit and learn from the Allens’ extensive beekeeping knowledge. Rangers from Westmoreland State Park come out for supplies and homeschool groups visit on a regular basis, sitting on hay bales in the outdoor classroom.
The Allens welcome everyone interested in furthering their hive savvy. “For us, this has been a chance to design and build quality products that help others,” says Kathy. “And Jeff loves to talk bees.”
Hive Five Apiary and Bee Supply I 149 Trident Point Road, Tappahannock I 804-761-0530 I hivefivebees.com
A Friendly Reminder: Bees are essential pollinators and should be treated with care and respect. Successful beekeeping requires training, mentorship, and proper hive management—not simply collecting bees from the wild. If you’re interested in becoming a beekeeper, connect with local experts or beekeeping organizations to learn safe, responsible practices that protect both you and the bees.
