05/20/2026
Today is World Bee Day! 🐝
Bees may be small, but their impact on the Okanagan is enormous. From orchard blossoms to vineyard ecosystems, pollinators play an essential role in supporting the agriculture and biodiversity that make this region so special.
On this World Bee Day, we raise a glass to our wonderful neighbour, Tim Bouwmeester - Master Beekeeper and owner of Desert Flower Honey! Tim’s farm has a collection of fruit trees & flowers that serve over 100 hives - plus his bees seem to love our Muscat Ottonel! Tim is also a bee inspector & educator here in the Okanagan-Similkameen, which means he travels across the valley to do such tasks as re-locating swarms, monitoring for invasive mites & overall hive health, accounting for over 20,000 hives in this region. 🍯
Desert Flower Honey farm is located directly next to Hillside at 1250 Naramata Road, open daily from 8:00am - 8:00pm for all your honey needs! You can also find him Wednesdays at the Naramata Farmers Market starting in June 🐝🍯
A few fun bee facts:
🐝 There are over 800 species of native bees in Canada, 400 of which are found in the Okanagan-Similkameen Valleys! These include mason bees, sweat bees, carpenter bees & bumblebees
🐝 Bees love dandelions as they are an excellent source of protein Bees do a “waggle dance” to signal to the hive the location and proximity of the best pollen sources
🐝 Bees can visit up to 5,000 flowers in one day Bees love lavender, wild roses, sunflowers, clover & fruit tree blossoms
🐝🐝 PLUS! Did you know that our winemaker Kathy’s Dad, Fred Malone, is a published author on a book called “Bees Don’t Get Arthritis” - an exploration of Fred’s journey discovering the healing properties of honey, pollen, and bee venom!
As you can see, we are big bee fans here at Hillside! Let’s raise a glass to the tiny, fuzzy soldiers that help our beautiful valley flourish!
