All the Buzz
Sisters Janai, Skyla, and Ariona Heise started beekeeping in their early teens and have turned the hobby into a business.
Bee-ing around the hive keeps Heise sisters on the path to success
By Rebecca Chaney
Three sisters are creating lots of buzz, so to speak, as the trio’s beekeeping business, Little Bear Apiary, continues to make great strides in the industry by offering a variety of quality products.
Little Bear Apiary was established in the spring of 2014, when Janai Heise was just 16 years old. Her sisters, Skyla, 14, and Ariona, 11, were also interested in beekeeping.
“We first began beekeeping in our early teenage years,” says Janai. “We received a scholarship from the West Virginia Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association which started our journey, and we have been beekeeping ever since.”
The hives that the Heise sisters keep west of Hagerstown.
Janai also studied beekeeping in college, and was influenced by her cousin who had begun beekeeping the year before the Heise sisters did.
“It’s pretty easy for me to remember when we started as my older sister was learning to drive on the way to beekeeping classes,” says Skyla. “I couldn’t wait till it was my turn.”
Beekeeping has become a popular hobby and business in Maryland. There are more than 2,300 beekeepers in the state that keep about 18,700 colonies. Beekeeping clubs work to promote the hobby and assist in educating their members and the community about bee culture.
“Every year the number of beehives varies, typically we run between eight to 15 hives,” says Janai. “With each beehive having between 20,000 to 70,000 bees on average, we would have approximately 160,000 to 1,050,000 honeybees each year. Our beehives are all located in one area, my grandmother’s property west of Hagerstown.”
The sister-owned apiary has continued to evolve and grow every year.
“Our first pull of honey in 2014 was around 30 pounds,” Skyla says. “We were so proud of ourselves and couldn’t wait for our next year of production. Little did we know each year we would “bee” blessed even more. Our hives have thrived, and we’ve been fortunate enough to pull more and more honey each year. It’s been an incredible family journey of growth, hard work, and sweet rewards.”
Raw honey, with its natural enzymes, antioxidants, and antimicrobial properties, is gaining popularity as a health-boosting food product. The Heise sisters concentrate on raw honey but offer other products as well.
“We sell pure, raw, local honey and hive-related products,” Janai says. “Honey is sold in one-pound jars, half-pound jars and two-ounce bottles. Our honey is fresh every year, and we sell unique flavors depending on what flowers are in bloom throughout the year. We do not artificially flavor our honey. One of our most popular kinds of honey is our Locust honey, which the honeybees collect from the nectar of the Locust trees during the month of May.”
They also offer small bottles of honey for favors at special events like baby showers and wedding receptions. The sisters credit much of their success to the support of the beekeeping community. In addition to help from their cousin when they started, they have attended meetings at the Washington County Beekeepers Association and the Maryland State Beekeepers Association.
“We are in our 11th year beekeeping, we are grateful for the mentors who have helped get us started, and we are very honored to be mentors to other beekeepers,” Janai says.
The youngest sister, Ariona, was only 11 years old when Little Bear Apiary was established. Now in her early 20s, Ariona says they offer whatever the bees give them. “Our most popular product is our one-pound honey jars,” she says. “Our most popular honey would be the Locust honey. Locust honey is very sought-after in the Appalachian region.”
Little Bear Apiary markets their products through social media, special events, as well as Kelly Moore Sheds on Virginia Avenue, Deliteful Dairy, and Sprouts Market, both in Williamsport, and Greenhouse Cafe at Fort Ritchie.
Skyla’s favorite part of beekeeping is being in the hive.
Skyla Heise inspects the progress of honey making in the sister’s hives.
“Honestly, there is nothing like being in the hive,” she says. “I love the sweet smell of honey and all the curious little bees that pop out when you open the lid. Beekeeping has brought our family together in so many ways. From working in the hives, to extracting and bottling the honey, to handling sales, everyone plays a part. These shared moments and achievements make the experience even sweeter.”
Although the Heise sisters enjoy their beekeeping journey, there are a few challenges. According to the sisters, the hardest part of beekeeping is over wintering bees.
“It is very difficult to lose a hive to winter when you have spent all spring and summer working with them,” Skyla says. “That’s the most heartbreaking part of beekeeping.”
Little Bear Apiary owners are happy to be involved in an industry that is very beneficial to the environment.
“Honeybees are extremely important pollinators,” Janai points out. In USDA’s 2023 report, U.S. farmers paid for honeybees to pollinate more than 1,862,400 acres, in addition to all the crops that honeybees pollinate just by being in the proximity of them.
Many crops, fruits, and vegetables, are dependent on pollination. They include alfalfa, almonds, apples, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, clover, cranberries, cucumbers, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, pumpkins, raspberries, squash, strawberries, sunflowers, and watermelons. The Heise sisters are proud beekeepers, doing their part to help support and maintain this integral species for U.S. horticulture and agriculture.