Buzz-worthy Gifts for Backyard Beekeepers

20. June 2017

If you aren’t a beekeeper, chances are you know someone who is. So what happens when you need to get them a gift? “I’ll get them a poofy sweater with a fat, smiling bee on it.” Uhhh. “I betcha they would like another adorable, squishy bee plush doll!” Errr… no. How about some gifts from kindred souls who love and respect bees as much as they do? Some of the artisans on our gift list are even beekeepers themselves. So without further ado, here’s a list of buzz-worthy goodies, as well as some practical and useful tools for apiarists.

 

 

Honey I'm Home Art Print by Ello Lovey

Honey, I’m home! Did you miss me? What’s for dinner? Now wouldn’t this cute little honey bee print sweeten up any room in a home? The cheery colors and whimsical illustration would bee most welcoming to visitors. Prints are digitally hand-drawn by artist Rhianna Wurman and printed on heavy weight matte archival paper. Beekeepers and honey lovers would love this sweet as honey print.

 

 

Honey Bee Socks by Many Mornings

WOW! How eye-catching are these colorful honey bee socks? We LOVE that one sock is striped while the other has fun flying bees. In fact, we love all their socks for this very reason. Many Mornings also started a SHARE A PAIR initiative. For every pair of socks purchased, they donate a pair to an organization in need. That leaves us warm and fuzzy like their awesome socks! Oh, and Many Mornings was also kind enough to share a coupon code to use on their website and Etsy shop. Use coupon code beelovers to save 15% on your order. Now who’s ready to sock shop?

 

 

Keep Calm and Love Bees T-shirt by Keep Calm Store

Keep Calm! Don’t swat at the bee on your face! But run if something has gone horribly wrong. Would it be ironic to see a beekeeper running in this funny Keep Calm and Love Bees t-shirt? Beekeepers can strut their stuff in this shirt to let everything know they LOVE BEES. While the yellow and black artwork is gorgeous, we love that you can choose from a variety of other colors. It’s also available in sizes for infants to adults. So an entire bee-loving family can have matching attire.

 

 

 

Yellow Honeycomb Necklace and Earring Set by Rosebud Casson

This geometric honeycomb jewelry set by artist Rosebud Casson is the bee’s knees! We love the contrast of the cherry wood and yellow honeycomb necklace and earring set. Each honeycomb is individually laser cut and pieced together by hand. This jewelry would make a buzz-worthy addition to any wardrobe. For a special night out on the town, look at Rosebud's Gold Mirror Honeycomb set for some extra bling!

 

 

Honey Bees at Work Sign by Bainbridge Mercantile

Yes, honey bees work, and they work, and they work some more. They buzz around the neighborhood foraging for pollen and nectar. These girls are efficient and industrious. It’s quite a show to watch bees in action. This colorful Honey Bees at Work Sign drawn by Susan Roth would look adorable next to a beehive or garden. The aluminum outdoor sign is weatherproof, UV resistant, and ready to hang. This shop also has signs for Chickens, Goats, and pigs to name a few! Take a look at their website or Etsy shop.

  

Custom Honey Labels for Backyard Beekeepers by CanningCrafts

Beekeeping ain’t easy. Seriously, it’s a lot of effort harvesting all that sweet liquid gold (not to mention all the work the bees do too)! You need to showcase your triumphant collaboration with Apis mellifera… and custom honey labels are the perfect way to do it. CanningCrafts’ custom honey labels print with a name, type of honey, contact info, or size. This makes them a great gift for beekeepers to dress up their honey bottles for sale or gifting. There are many honey label designs to choose from such as kraft, vintage, or bright yellow. Or use the Save the Bees heart labels to help spread the word! Treat yo’self!!!

 

 

The Honey Bee Honeycomb Lightbox by Munstre Lighting & Decor

What a unique way to lighten up the life of your favorite apiarist. This handsome 6 x 8” honey bee lightbox is the creation of artist Christopher Elsasser. It features a beautifully textured honeycomb pattern background. The show-stopping focal point is a magnificent European worker honeybee illustration. Christopher uses premium Ultrachrome inks which protect the art from color fading. The soft, amber glow is produced by a warm lumen LED bulb. And, honestly, it reminds one of the sweet, rich nectar that is the product of its avatar.

 

 

Honeycomb Inlay Cutting Boards by Lumbertown Woodworks

The craftsmanship on Christopher Sowa’s Honeycomb Cuttings Boards is beeyond astounding! Feast your eyes on some of his Instagram process videos. Each of his wood boards is a one-of-a-kind piece of art for your kitchen. Most are made with multiple wood species that are sustainably sourced and made to last. Boards are waterproof, food safe, and have non-skid feet on the bottom to protect counter tops. These boards would make a great gift for beekeepers and foodies alike.

 

 

Honey Bee Kitchen Tea Towels by Noteworthy Paper & Press

Thinking of updating your kitchen? Forget the expensive new cabinets. Skip the paint job or new tiles. Just brighten up your kitchen with Honey Bee Towels. These flour sack tea towels feature a yellow honeycomb pattern with honey bees. They’re screen printed in the USA on unbleached cotton towels. Honey bee towels would make a useful gift for a beekeeper or any fan of fun kitchen gear. Artists Taylor Valliant and Amy Dolan have other bee gifts in their shop, so make a beeline over there now!

 

 

Honey Do List Notepad by Noteworthy Paper & Press

Give your honey what they really want… a Honey Bee Notepad to keep track of everything to do! This note pad would be cute for a beekeeper to use as a hive check list. Replace old frames ✔️    Mark queen less hives ✔️    Give your girls a prep-talk ✔️    Or stick it to the fridge to remind your spouse of all the household chores you need help with. Mow the lawn, wash the car… hmmm, none of that sounds as fun as beekeeping.

 

 

 

The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses

For perspective: bees are small. Hives are usually large. Swarms can be downright massive. And that leads us to the book, The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses. This book is astronomically ginormous. But it is so much more than a mammoth tome. It is well crafted, exquisitely designed, and exceedingly well thought out overview of anything and everything bee related. Need a go-to “handbook” to answer that pressing bee concern? Got it. Want the history and detailed anatomy of your friend the honey bee? It’s covered. Looking for nearly 100 recipes and various methods of beekeeping? It gives you the goods. If your love of bees has ever compelled you to ensconce yourself in a hive (which, literally, would be a very bad idea), this magnificent volume would be the next best choice.

 

 

Magnet Set for the Beekeeper by Circa Ceramics

Shiny little domes of goodness indeed! This colorful, porcelain magnet set features fun bees and skep artwork. Beekeepers can stick buzz-worthy photos or a honey-do list on the fridge with these cuties. Oh, and these are neodymium magnets too. So that means they are strong magnets capable of holding many papers. Magnets come packaged in a box perfect for gift-giving. Nancy and Andy have other bee-utiful ceramic goodies, so fly on over to their shop now!

 

 

Striped Honey Bee Cup by Circa Ceramics

Imagine relaxing on your porch, drinking honey infused tea out of this sweet bee cup. Put your feet up, clear your mind, and watch the bees fly by. Ahhhh, how tranquil. We love this cup’s contrasting yellow stripes with the black bee artwork. But while we really love yellow with black, it’s neat that you can choose different color glazes. This cup is hand made from scratch using porcelain clay and lead-free glaze. It’s also safe for food, dishwasher and microwave use. Drink up, buttercup!

 

 

Plant These to Help Save Bees Postcards by Hannah Rosengren Studio

As a bee enthusiast, you not only care about your personal hive, but also the bee community as a whole. And you know bees need every extra advantage they can get in this tumultuous world of ours. Share the menu of the flowers and herbs they love to “eat” with these Plant These to Help Save Bees postcards. It's a great way to educate others on the importance of helping bees. If everyone does a little to help spread the word (and some flower seeds), we can save more bees.

 

 

Bee Mix Seed Bombs by Seeds for Pollinators

You’re a bee-boss. And you have hundreds (if not thousands) of little, diligent workers all toiling away, day after day. You should show them that you appreciate their efforts with a pizza party! But bees don’t love pizza. What they do love are the flora varieties featured in these Seeds for Pollinators Seed Bombs. These organic compost and non-treated seed bombs are the creations of a husband and wife team. Kyle Moran is a horticulturist and Hannah Rosengren Moran is a botanical illustrator. Seed bombs come in an adorable, illustrative tin. And if you're into bombing your yard, they also have a Monarch Butterfly Seed Bomb Mix. We hear it's the bomb too.

 

 

Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey by Holly Bishop

Want to know more about "The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World?” This amazing book is a narrative of the author's experiences in beekeeping. It’s not a how-to book though, it’s an overview on the history of beekeeping and honey bees. The author also speaks with another commercial beekeeper with often funny beekeeping stories. The book covers the fascinating history of honey and beekeeping throughout the ages. One of the most interesting chapters covered the use of bees as weapons of war from the Romans through the Vietnam War. It's worth a read by any current or future beekeeper, or anyone with a fascination for honey and bees.

 

 

Pardon the Weeds I'm Feeding the Bees Aluminum Sign by Timmerman Prints

We would LOVE to know who decided that an all green lawn is more attractive than one covered in dandelions. Some of us have neighbors who don’t understand the importance of feeding the bees! And that’s where this fun Pardon the Weeds I'm Feeding the Bees Sign by Liz Timmerman comes in handy. It’s a good way to let neighbors know you aren’t behind on your mowing. Weeds have a very important purpose! Put this aluminum sign in your yard to help raise awareness and help ease your neighbor’s nerves too.

 

 

Save the Bees Embroidered Scouting Patch by Timmerman Prints

You don’t have to be a scout to wear this bee-utiful bee patch. Help spread the word about feeding the bees by proudly wearing this patch on your sleeve or book bag. We love the inclusion of the dandelion, a great bee-friendly flower. This patch is perfect for scouts or anyone who wants to start an important conversation without saying a word. Help educate others on the crucial role bees play every day in our eco-system. Now this is a merit badge everyone needs to earn!

 

Keep Calm Or The Bees Get Angry Coffee Mug by KillerBeeMoto

You know who doesn’t like to see you agitated? Bees. Know who else? Bears. And one more? Bikers. Bees. Bears. Bikers. But we digress… It’s smart to keep your head about you when dealing with bees. If you don’t panic, it’s more than likely they won’t either. So this Keep Calm Or The Bees Get Angry Coffee Mug is a great reminder of how to behave around bees. And probably bears and bikers as well. Artist Jesse Bellavance also has a shirt with this design. So wear it as an important reminder while working around your buzzing buddies.

 

 

BEEK Vinyl Decal by All Things Honey

Let folks know that you are an apiarist or just a fan of bees with this cool BEEK Vinyl Decal. Also, you will make 90’s kids confused and excited as they think you are a supporter of the TV show Beekman’s World. That will be a great way to break the ice and explain to them fun factoids of beekeeping. This super-fly decal is from Central Beekeeper Supply. This is a three-generation, family run beekeeper supply store in Russellville, AR. Their veins must be flowing with honey! Sweet!!!

  

Some common “everyday items” a beekeeper could use:

• Honey Jars - yeah, you’ll need some jars… hexagon, honey bears, Muth, Queensline, or mason jars. Show that sweet liquid gold off in style!
• Multifunctional Beehive Tool - for all scraping, prying, cleaning, pulling or whatever you may need to do on the hive
• Stainless Steel Double Sieve Honey Strainer - for cleaning small debris and other bits out of your honey
• Electric Honey Uncapping Knife - heated blade makes it easy to cut the caps off the frames
• Smoker Pellets - compressed wood pellets that put off white smoke for working with bees
• Essential Oils - use natural lemongrass essential oil to attract bees and keep them healthy (by killing harmful mites)
• Stethoscope - to listen in on what your bees are up to. Great for the winter months.

Read our other Honey Blog Posts including How to Plant a Pollinator Garden for Bees, Printable Honey Bee Coloring Pages, The Honey Laundering Scandal, & our Book Review for “Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey”.

 

Interested in honey and beekeeping? Follow our Buzzin About Honey Board on Pinterest!

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This post does NOT contain affiliate links. We have NOT received compensation from any of the companies on the list. We were also granted permission by each artist to use their photographs within this post.

Do you have any bee or honey related gift ideas to recommend? Let us know in the comments below.

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