Experience Our Honey Farm And Beekeeping Tour

Fantastic tour, educational, and fun! I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the Big Island.

Getting to learn about bees and honey was a fun experience, what a sweet deal too. The bee keeper showed the process and life cycle of bees and all the steps in between.

This was our first time to an Apiary and it was so cool, very immersive, informative and fun to be around the bees and see into the hives. We tasted the different honeys and bought some as gifts. The tour guide was fantastic.

Fantastic experience! Our guide Jaime was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. She answered all questions and was extremely patient. We were able to see the bees up close and had an inside look at the honey process. We were able to try a variety of different honey and they had reasonably priced honey that we bought as souvenirs to take back home.

Very educational! I didn’t realize we would be sampling the honey and wow! So good!

Fun, educational tour of the honey-making company is highly recommended as a non-beach activity on The Big Island. We enjoyed the talk by Jaimie who showed us all of the aspects of the hives and the different type of bees that make up a colony. After the talk, we enjoyed tastings of the 7 different types of honey created by Big Island Bees, all of which exceeded my expectations. (I didn't like the one with chili peppers, but that was a personal preference bc I don't like spicey food.) We bought one of every kind for ourselves as well as gift packs and candles as gifts for pet sitters at home. We took advantage of the free shipping with purchases over $100 so we did not need to pack the honey in our luggage to fly back home. If you like nature and want to learn more about bees, I highly recommend taking this tour!

Our tour at Big Island Bees was informative, engaging and very enjoyable. The beekeeper/tour guide is passionate and enthusiastic about her work and the hour or so spent there was well worth it. We’re very glad we made the tour part of our Kona experience.

We did the Big Island Bees tour - 100% your time and the drive. Our guide/beekeeper grew up on her family Bee farm in the mainland. She was extremely knowledgeable about beekeeping. She shared her knowledge regarding be keeping, hive management, and the lifecycle of bees. She identified drones, workers, and the queen. She also explained Big Island Bee's rotates their bee hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. and the process used for honey is extraction for sale. Big Island Bee's honey is 100% pure honey. (No attatives, it was interesting to learn that some producers of honey add corn syrup an and other adjectives) And she provided information regarding the year-round, honey production that is available in Hawaii, including the fact that big Island bees rotates their hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. The honey tasting offered a great sampling of the honeys produce by the bees by the and good people at Big Island Bees. This is a great activity for everyone of all ages.

The tour was very informative and the macadamia nut honey tart was delicious, as were the honey samples.

This was a great experience. They make it very easy for families with little kids and our tour guide, Jaime T., was excellent. Half my party arrived late, but they were very kind and easy going about it. Two of my kids, afraid of bees at home, got comfortable and interested pretty quickly behind the screens and even asked questions to Jaime, who was a fountain of bee knowledge. I think she could have gone on much longer, but let the questions from the group guide the tour topics. And the honey is delicious! Note - they do give instructions to get there, and there's a link to a youtube video but that is out-of-date for what leaving Hwy 11 southbound to Napo'opo'o Road looks like. The video doesn't have the traffic light that is there now. It's more of a go straight at that intersection and then down a windy residential road to the farm. If you go a hard right, you end up going back north toward Keauhou.

We had a great time on this tour with our guide, Jamie. She was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their work, and she was fun, too! I think we all cringed when she pulled out the sections of the bee box with bare hands, though! We learned a lot and had a great time.

We visited the bee farm excited to learn more about their honey and how the operation works. When we arrived it was fairly busy, but we spent some time browsing the gift shop and admiring the artwork while things settled down. Once it cleared out, a lovely older woman welcomed us and patiently walked us through the seasonal honey offerings. She was warm, knowledgeable, and generous with her time. We especially enjoyed tasting the macadamia flower honey and a cinnamon-infused variety. She also shared helpful ideas on how to use each honey and explained more about the hives and how they rotate their harvests. Based on the tasting, we decided to purchase the macadamia flower honey. During the conversation we mentioned that we keep mason bees at home and enjoy caring for them. As we were explaining that mason bees don’t produce honey, another employee who mentioned he had worked there for about ten years joined the conversation. Unfortunately, the tone shifted at that point. For several minutes he shared fairly negative views about other beekeepers, hobbyists, and parts of the industry. While we tried to explain that we carefully manage our mason bee cocoons to keep them healthy and disease-free, it didn’t seem to change his perspective much. By then we were ready to purchase our honey and head out. As we were finishing up, he commented that the honey we selected would be the “last one he would ever recommend,” suggesting we had chosen the wrong variety. We left feeling a bit confused and honestly a little discouraged. It was unfortunate because the tasting experience and the woman who helped us initially were wonderful. The visit started out very positively but ended on a surprising note.

We learned a lot about bees and beekeeping on our tour of Big Island Bees. And we got to taste the honey that they produce there! Highly recommend!

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The tour guide was both informative and entertaining. I was a bit skeptical about the tour fee of $30 for each of us, but ended up feeling like the tour was well worth it!

This was a great activity on my last day on Big Island. It was very informative and entertaining, and the honey and tea samples were delicious. Highly recommend!

Very interesting and informative. The tour guide was extremely engaging-he interacted with everyone very well. At times his humor was a little over the top but all in all it was nice.

A must do while in the big island. We liked the sweet museum and the wonderful products. But what a wonderful treat was to have a tour with Joe. He was so knowledgeable, wicked funny, and kind. You can see how he loves his bees and the job that he does. Finally the cherry on top was a macadamia and honey tart with cold mango tea that they served us. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.

We did the tour and found it very enjoyable. The guide gave us a TON of information and was easy to listen to. He did a great job telling us about everything bees and a lot about the misconceptions around them and the conservation efforts. It was worth every bit of admission. The gift shop had a lot to offer too. So many varieties and a lot to look at as well. Highly recommend!! Tour: - Snack (pictured) - Short Video - Q&A - Visit to the bee boxes. Stand behind a screened wall. - Process of being a beekeeper shown. A ton of discussion. Incredibly interesting and informative. - Samples of honey on spoons (pictured) - Visit to the gift/retail shop

Great information and fun meeting the girl bees. Such hard workers loved seeing the inside of a beehive. Great Honey. Xx

Our family of five decided to give this a try as we found it as an activity online and it seemed interesting. The tour consisted of a short film about bees and this local beekeeping business, followed by a trip to some hives and an informative and amusing presentation by Joe - who walked us through the basics of how a hive worked; the roles of the various bees in keeping the hive going and the business of harvesting honey for sale and the business of breeding queen bees for sale to the mainland. Joe was very knowledgeable and readily answered all sorts of questions. But most importantly, he had a great sense of humor and made the presentation very entertaining.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Big Island Bees. Joe was knowledgeable and entertaining. The skill and gentleness in which he handled his bees was enlightening for us as beginning beekeepers. We also appreciated his inclusion of native bees and other pollinators in his presentation. Finally - the honey is delicious!

What an excellent, entertaining and informative tour! We really enjoyed this experience and felt like it was well-worth the time and money. Loved shopping in the gift shop. However, so many people were in line at the end of the tour that we decided to wait until we returned home to place an online order. The macadamia honey was amazing!

Big Island Bee's is a NOT MISS opportunity not only learn about bee's but to spend a couple of hours with Joe who is a walking and talking encyclopedia of Bee’s, live in front of you. He is funny and engaging while teaching you this delicate world of a bee's life. It’s safe if you are wondering. No bees were hurt during our tour (See how I made it about the Bee's Joe). I was so looking forward to this tour and it did not disappoint.... Don’t get me started about the store.... Many different types of honey (which you sample). Will change the way you feel about bee's...

Wondering if you can learn anything if you already keep bees? Unequivocally, Yes! We learned so much from Joe the proud bee parent and tour guide. He was funny, friendly, passionate and very knowledgeable. If you are considering keeping bees, go. If you are passionate about helping your local bee populations, go. Lastly if you want locally produced products and gifts...go on this tour!

Educational and learned so much about bees. Loved this little stop and the opportunity to taste different honey. Try the ice cream too

Our guide was great, super knowledgeable and answered every question our 6 year old granddaughter had. We learned lots of interesting facts and the tasting was a great way to end the visit. We were even able to see the Queen bee.

We booked this tour to kill some time before our flight. Turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor and was passionate about bees. We learned a lot, got to taste 8 different honey varieties and had a great time. Highly recommend.

Enjoyed the informative nature of this tour. Loved that they hooked us from the beginning with tea and the honey macadamia nut tart pieces! Honey samples were intriguing. We had a hard time choosing what to buy to bring home as gifts; we wanted to all!

Wonderful experience! Guide was so engaging and interesting and had fun with us while educating us. I’d highly recommend this tour if interested in bees, or even if you’re not!

Originally we were just looking for budget friendly tours... Turns out this is one of the most interesting tours we have been on. The location was a little far and you will need a rental car to get there but it was not difficult to find. 10/10 I would highly recommend this tour. Our beekeeper extraordinaire was very knowledgeable and very funny. We learned a lot on this tour and it was a great intro to learning about Big Island. There was a little shop full of interesting things and tons of wonderful things to purchase. The macadamia tart was my favorite and Im so bummed I didnt get to buy more lol. Hope everyone gets to book this tour and enjoy all the things this lovely island has to offer!

The beekeeper who gave the tour was very knowledgeable and answered every question posed to him! He was also funny and kept the tour engaged. The honey tasting was so delicious we bought lots of honey and had it shipped home!

Big Island Bees turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of our Hawaii trip. Yes, we learned about bees and beekeeping, but what really stood out was the host’s passion and calm confidence around the bees. They took time to answer every question, share samples, and explain the differences in honey and processes. The experience was both educational and engaging, leaving us with a deeper appreciation for the craft. Of all the things we did on the island, this was an unexpected highlight—and one we’d happily recommend.

This was really an interesting and educational tour and lecture. I had little knowledge of bees and bee keeping when I arrived. Trouthfully, I am not even sure I cared about my bee ignorance. I am now excited and enlightened about bees, bee keeping and honey. Bees are SO INTERESTING and I had no idea! And the honey tasting is the best! I could not believe the different tastes the honey has depending on what the bees pollinated. Do not miss this tour!

We had a wonderful time visiting big Island Bee Museum. The tour was very informative. I learned a lot at my old age lol We were able to stand safely behind a screen while our tour guide Joe taught us about the bees and demonstrated the culture of the big community, including the history of bees and honey on the Hawaiian islands and around the globe.

This is a small farm that is very interesting. The beekeeper leading the tour was a great story teller which helped engage my family in the experience. It was also very interesting to watch him shake the bees off of the screen and not get stung. He wore long pants and short sleeve shirt with no face netting. This is a very interesting tour! I highly recommend this tour. I did not feel like there was a high probability of being stung even though we were feet from the hives.

AMAZING experience. We learned so much about bees and absolutely loves the experience and tastings. Get the tarts, they are delicious. Our guide was so knowledgeable with a great personality. My 8 year old also enjoyed it, he especially loved all the geckos that hang around for the honey.

Amazing trip and learned so much about bee keeping. Great information and the product is so yummy. The tour guide was funny and kept us engaged throughout the tour. The samples at the end made it easy to decide what to purchase from the shop....everything!

I was warmly greeted by one of the sweet dogs (second one came to say hello during the video viewing) and staff was very friendly and informative. The tour gave me a better idea of how bees are kept, cared for and how honey is produced. It’s important to support local businesses that work organically and offer organic products, so would recommend anyone interested in honey to do the tour and/or purchase products in their shop, you don’t need to do the tour to purchase items.

Informative and fun, our tour guide Joe was delightful, the honey tasting was delish, and we bought some great gifts to take home!!

Staff was very informative and helpful. The beekeeper was funny and engaging and asked a lot of questions and encouraged us to ask questions as well. You could really tell that he loves his job. The tour included samples, which were amazing.

I've been a bee keeper, on and off, for over half a century. Yes way "back in the days when..." One bee hive, one summer and an FFA-4H project I agreed to under duress, turned into a life long love. Some might even say an an obsession with bees. If given half an opportunity I will duck in see how bee keepers in different cultures, and climates tend to their bees. We found Big Island Bees on line searching "things to do on the Big Island". It's always exciting to feel invited. As expected the tour and the honey tasting was interesting and informative. Our guide/bee steward, Joe a delight. Attentive, knowledgeable and also very funny. At the end of the tour there was quite a rush to shop and the store staff handled the onslaught graciously in the ma halo spirit The honey shack/Art and History Museum is a treat as are the grounds. Modest but quietly teaming with rare and forgotten (AKA: old fashioned) plants. Joe gave us a quick side tour! Bottom like: A quiet treat for a quiet afternoon in paradise... because you can't kite surf or swim with the dolphins every day. Stock up on honey before you leave and remember to tip the guides, drivers baristas etc who helped make your time in Hawaii unforgettable. Living in paradise is spendy. A hui hou.

We had a Super enjoyable afternoon, this 4 generation ohana sure knows how to welcome with such warm hospitality and a thoroughly informative bee visit. Joe was hugely knowledgeable and fun and funny, we all shared a good many laughs together. The gift shop is loaded with great gifts, we left with a bag full. Highly recommend!

Let me start by saying you can purchase all their products (with the exception of the bath & body) in the any of the supermarkets around town & sometimes they're even on sale! They do let you taste the honey, but it's a very small amount from a tiny plastic spoon. The girl that assisted us, charged me twice for the same products and had an excuse why her register couldn't provide me a receipt. To top it off, we missed the bee presentation and came in on the end of it and were rudely told to leave and come back another day! In my personal opinion, I wouldn't waste my day or time driving down here. If you're a real "bee enthusiast" than maybe, but I didn't care for the treatment or being overcharged and having to deal with my credit card company afterwards.

What a great experience. We were in a small group so we got a close-up view of the bees. Wonderful collection of bee tools and history in the museum. Their gift shop is really nice with reasonable prices for their honey products and gifts. We loved the whole thing!

We had a great time on our visit. Joe was very knowledgeable about all things bees and he was also very entertaining. This was by far the best apiary tour we have ever had. The honey is fantastic as well! We will ‘bee’ back sometime!

We've visited the Big Island several times and were looking for something new to do. This tour was fabulous! Our guide Joe was extremely knowledgeable and peppered his talk with humor. Extremely interactive and fun. We'd recommend visiting while in South Kona.

Joe was very knowledgeable and taught us all about bees in an informative and entertaining way. A great tour - well worth it. The honey was delicious- we purchased a jar of every kind we tasted ! The macadamia nut honey is sweet and pure. The chili pepper honey had a great kick. Loved this experience

Very knowledgeable staff. We learned a lot about beekeeping. Had a taste of several different honeys. They did a good job!

Good tour! We live here and wanted to take my grandkids on a tour. It was great information on the bees. Great tour guide! Glad we went!