New Bee Hive Installation

We’re pleased to announce the addition of several honeybee hives to the preserve, which will be managed by local beekeeper, Mike Bruen. Mike may be familiar to some since he has been manning the well-known roadside honey truck in Brewster for years and formerly owned the White Oak Apiary. Mike has won several awards for his honey, including back-to-back, first-place blue ribbons from the New York State Fair. Homemade honey has been a long tradition in Mike’s family, which has been in Southeast, NY since the 1850s. Both his father and grandfather kept bees. Interestingly, Mike told us that the highly invasive plant, Japanese knotweed, which is abundant in some areas at Great Hollow, is highly favored by honeybees. According to Mike, “knotweed honey” is known to be one of the best tasting and healthiest kinds of honey around. Luckily, knotweed primarily spreads through roots known as tubers and not through pollination. Mike is looking forward to leading honeybee outreach and education programs for us. So, the next time you visit Great Hollow, be sure to check out the hives, which are located next to our pollinator garden (and a nice patch of knotweed). There is an electric fence surrounding the hives to keep bears away, so please view only from a distance.