Bzzz… Did you know? We have an interim apiary and pollinator project, called Bee Place, located on a future development area of Southlands Tsawwassen so we (and all the pollinators) can make the most of our neighbourhood and beyond.

Thanks to our seven colonies of honeybees (up to 13 hives during growing season) and our resident Beekeeper, Julia Common, who has over 50 years of experience (15 right here at Southlands Tsawwassen), we had our largest honey haul ever! Over half a tonne – that’s 1,000 pounds – of honey was harvested in 2024!

One of the main contributing factors for our record-breaking honey haul? Happy, healthy, and well-fed bees! To achieve this, at Southlands Tsawwassen, we:

• Plant 4-5 times more pollinator plants, like clover, in our road verges than typical
• Ensure clover and native plants are on our farm fields and interim undeveloped areas
• Have a pollinator schedule for the landscaped gardens in all our multi-family communities so there’s always a plant in bloom to feed the bees

By doing this, we’re supplying bees (and other pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds) with quality food that they don’t need to fly far for. Happy honey bees = more honey!

Half a tonne of honey is a lot and much of it is spoken for, however, our small-batch Southlands Tsawwassen honey can be found:

• For sale at Southlands Grange Farmers Markets
• In dishes at Four Winds Beach House & Brewery and our affiliated restaurant Combine Cafe & Bar at Century City Surrey
• At Bria Communities (seniors’ residences owned and operated by our parent company, Century Group) as part of their Bee-Well Project, a unique educational partnership to enhance the lives of the seniors and our pollinators 

A jar of Southlands Tsawwassen honey (left) and goat cheese stuffed dates with our honey at Combine Cafe & Bar (right)

Our summer bees are done for the season and the winter bees have now taken over. They are bzzz-y forming clusters and keeping our queen bees and colonies warm over the winter, in preparation for next year!