Yeardley Farm Honey
W.T. Wilkins began his bee-keeping calling by accident. One lone surviving hive had been abandoned in a former tomato and cucumber field, and the owner of the property asked W.T. if he wanted it. W.T. obligingly adopted the hive, went to bee-keeping classes, and expanded to almost twenty hives today.
W.T. partners with local farmers who need pollinators close to their fields, providing a critical service in addition to delicious raw honey. He says that it has become more difficult to keep hives alive these days - he believes imported mites have weakened the bees so they are less resilient over the winters, and he tries not to use the pesticides that kill the mites, fearing that it causes more harm than good.
Like most beekeepers today, he continues his work despite these challenges. Locals understand that by buying W.T.'s honey, they support not just the honey producers, but the farmers who depend upon them as well!
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