Q + A with beekeeper and owner of Bee Haven, Samantha Gordon

Samantha Gordon is a passionate advocate for one of nature’s most essential creatures, bees. With two decades of beekeeping experience under her belt, she and her husband have created Bee Haven, a small shop located in Over-The-Rhine that celebrates the beauty of beekeeping. With products ranging from lip balms to honey, their products reflect their deep commitment to sustainability and the environment. In this Q&A, Gordon shares her journey into beekeeping along with her vision for fostering a love for bees within the community.

Q. What initially sparked your interest in beekeeping and bee products?

I read the novel, “The Secret Life of Bees.” That’s what started it. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years now, and nothing has stuck as long as this has, because it’s always changing too. So, when I read “The Secret Life of Bees,” it just made it sound almost enchanting. It just sparked my interest. I had been taking care of my grandmother, who passed away, and I felt a need to take care of something else. So, in 2005 my mom and I put together a couple hives. Then she passed away in 2011. She had been my business partner, we had kind of dealt with this together, but now my husband does it with me. Beekeeping opened the door to a world I didn’t know existed. I knew there were bees, but I didn’t give it much thought beyond honey and all that.

Q. In what ways are you keeping the bees safe while harvesting their products?

We have 13 hives right now that we take care of. For us, we keep a low number of hives, so that we can really know what’s going on in each hive. I take notes about what bees might need or what might be wrong, and then I can bring whatever I need next time to help them out. We also make sure that we don’t take too much honey, that we’re very careful when we go in and out of the hive so that we’re not creating a disaster for them. I’ve made huge amounts of mistakes over the years, but you learn from those mistakes. We don’t want to have a bunch of hives in one place, so bees are tucked away in different people’s backyards, so the bees have an ample amount of foraging to go for.

Q. What are some of the hardest environmental or other challenges you’ve faced whiling being in this business?

We see a lot of hives that are based in rural locations because of the amount of corn and soy that’s being grown nearby. It used to be more buckwheat and alfalfa for hay and those were better for foraging for the bees. Bees are so limited with the variety of what they can forage on now. So, the amount of foraging is probably the biggest problem. But varroa mites another big problem because they can make your bees sick. If they’re not treated, they stay in your hive. The bees get sick, they start to dwindle until there’s not enough numbers going into fall or winter to keep them warm.

Q. When it comes to pollination what are some of the things you’ve learned about beekeeping?

Pollination is really the best part. We have become more aware and must be very careful that we don’t overdo it when we’re keeping out European honeybees because if we do, and we put too many hives in an area, then we don’t want to dominate over the native bees and their pollination process. Pollination is really just the most important part; things bees do for the ecosystems.

Q. What kind of changes have you seen with the bee population in the past 5-10 years?

With the warmer weather, we’ve had a small hive beetle that has been moved farther north. This beetle wasn’t around when we started keeping bees, and they are a real pain to get rid of. They can destroy a hive. Then with the long dry spells and heat we’ve had. The golden rod, it’s great, that it grows in those conditions and the bees can get pollen from it, but without moisture it’s not really pumping out nectar. When I started keeping bees 20 years ago, it was around the time when varroa mites were becoming more well known, and they weren’t all over the world. Now they’re all over the world.

Q. If climate change were to continue the path that it’s on, what do you think it will do to the bee population?

It will change the vegetation around us. Things that bees normally would forage on will die back, but other things would hopefully come forward. Usually, the normal conditions of beehives are already warm. Bees keep their hive around 90 degrees to keep the queen warm, and even in the winter they try and keep it warm. It’s not so much the heat that I am worried about. Foraging would be different. There could be a period where something hasn’t grown in yet, and what they are used to is gone, there just wouldn’t be as much out there for them.

Q. What makes bee products containing beeswax and propolis better than something that you could find in a regular grocery store?

Products that they have in grocery stores might be petroleum-based, which supposedly leeches out minerals and vitamins from your body and skin, and it’s not good for the environment. Whereas, if I make a hand salve and I have beeswax in there, it’s a nice sealant for your skin. Honey is very healing for your skin. My daughter used to suffer from acne when she was in high school, and she would come home and just slather honey all over her because it’s hydrating, but it's also antibacterial.

Q. What is your favorite product that you have brought to the public?

The beeswax candles, because even when I’ve traveled, we’ll look online for good honey/bee stores, and there are just very few places to find pure beeswax candles. And I don’t think there’s anywhere else, store-wise, in Cincinnati that you can sell that. It’s such a natural, beautiful product that I’ve learned more and more about as I’ve been making them for all these years. They burn longer, and they burn cleaner.

Q. What message are you hoping to spread to customers with the products that you produce?

It’s good to pay attention to where your ingredients are coming from, and what the product is made of. There is even an app that you can scan a barcode to find out how clean products are. Start replacing those regular scented candles with a beeswax candle because your endocrine system must detoxify all those different fragrances that you are breathing in.

Q. Why should people care about bees?

The number one reason we should care about bees is because they are indispensable pollinators. That doesn’t just include the European honeybee, but it’s very important we care about the native bees as well. Bees also provide pollination for our food sources. Using less pesticides and growing plants that provide foraging for these amazing insects is the best way we can show some love.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

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