Small batch honey from the Beehive State
Photo by Eric Ruby
Services
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Swarm removal
In the springtime, bees start to feel crowded in their hives and naturally swarm. If you’ve ever seen one, you know it’s an amazing sight to behold. Often exterminators get called to handle swarms and end up killing the bees. If you see a swarm, call us instead. We will remove them humanely and give them a new, safe home. Swarms can move fast, so calling or texting is best: (707) 483-1302. This is a free service, but donations are welcome.
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Extractions
If a bee colony has moved into your house or a structure, we can come assess the situation and level of effort for the extraction, provide a quote, and remove the bees. Extractions are a much more involved process than collecting a swarm and therefore we charge our fee depending on the complexity of the project.
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General consultations
If you’re new to beekeeping, or just want to elevate your skills, we provide one-on-one consultations in a setting that best serves your learning and growth as a beekeeper, whether that’s performing a hive inspection together in-person or having a conversation by phone or Zoom. We want the bees to thrive, and that means making sure beekeepers have all the tools they need to be successful.
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Apprenticeships
We provide one-on-one apprenticeships for beekeepers looking to advance their skillset and knowledgebase. All levels welcome. Apprenticeships include one hour-long sessions with Kelsey once a month during the beekeeping season (March – November) tailored to your experience level. During the apprenticeship you will experience firsthand the ins and outs of managing bees throughout the year, responding to changing conditions and dynamic needs from your hive. Apprenticeship sessions may include hive inspections, mite treatments, and honey harvesting, to name a few key activities.
Our Story
Telegraph Bee Company was founded by Kelsey Howard on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, California in 2012. What started as a hobby of keeping urban bees adjacent to the I-580 freeway quickly evolved into a deep passion. Telegraph Bee Company expanded its reach into backyards across Berkeley and Oakland where generous hive hosts made space for our bees to thrive. The honey was a reflection and celebration of the diversity and complexity of the East Bay itself, with flavor profiles changing by the season from buttery eucalyptus in the winter months to heady fennel notes in the fall.
In late 2021, Kelsey and his family moved back to his wife’s hometown of Park City, Utah after having their first kid. Here, we are adapting our beekeeping practices to respond to new local conditions in the Wasatch Range. For the people of Utah, the beehive symbolizes each person in the Utah community working together to help one another. Indeed, that rings true for Telegraph Bee Company, which has now expanded its operations around the Beehive State thanks to the generosity of Utahans willing to share a little corner of their land to host our bees. Our honey comes from varied locations across the Wasatch Range, from high elevation apiaries in Summit and Wasatch Counties where our bees forage on pine pollen and wildflower nectar to urban apiaries dotted around backyards in Salt Lake County where our bees visit native plants in yards around the Avenues and community gardens in the Central City.
Telegraph Bee Company is a family- owned and-operated company.
Our statement on sustainability: We aim to tread lightly in everything that we do. Some of the key ways that we achieve this include:
Recycled veggie oil: The majority of our operations are conducted using a vehicle that runs on recycled vegetable oil.
Recycled shipping packaging: If you place an order to be shipped, you’ll notice our packaging, including boxes and stuffing, are mostly reused. Consider saving the packaging to continue its life and keep it out of the landfill.
Photo by Eric Ruby
All of our hives are located on unceded Ute, Goshute, or Eastern Shoshone territory. Learn more here.
Where to Find Us
Park City
Salt Lake City
Salt and Honey (9th and 9th and Fashion Place locations)
Pleasant Grove
You can also look for our honor system honey stand in Summit Park most days (weather dependent) open from dawn until dusk.
