Vorisek's Backyard Bee Farm,llc
Where the bees pick the flavors..
and Mother Nature chooses when.
Winter feeding consists of 'candy board blocks' in addition to the 60-80 lbs of stored honey. The board allows lateral access to food and warm air pocket.
ACTIVITIES/SERVICES

Swarm Removal
or Referral

Crop Pollination
50 mile radius

Honey Production
and Sales

Queens & Bees
limited

Education
and Outreach
Who We Are
About Vorisek's Backyard Bee Farm,llc
Vorisek’s Backyard Bee Farm grew out of an FFA enterprise. About 1993, our oldest daughter, Carleen, started beekeeping as an Agriculture project. She embraced it and became proficient. In 1997, she was one of four finalists in the National FFA Proficiency.
Her younger sister, Shanna, continued this enterprise. Shanna’s project book consistently ranked high in Pennsylvania and in 2002 was honored with first place in the state.
This little honeybee farm serves primarily local customers. We are one of very few markets in northwest Pa. offering locally and domestically produced honey and hive products.
With the challenges of keeping bees alive and healthy, it is our goal to maintain a relatively smaller number of hives and put more effort in proficiency.
SALES LOCATIONS
We DO NOT have on-line or website sales. Please find us locally.
Pollination
Pumpkin Pollination
As the number of bee visits to a pumpkin flower increases from 1 to 12, fruit-set increases from 6% to 64% and number of seeds per fruit increases from 273 to 366. Male flowers outnumber female ones by 3.5: 1 to 10: 1. Female flowers are only open one day, in the morning hours. Early bee activity is even more important on hot days when flowers close early. Large bee populations help ensure maximum flower visitation, pollen deposition, and crop yield. For smaller producers, the yield is so much better that they can reduce required pumpkin acreage. Nectar from vine plants is about 1% of an equal acre of alfalfa. Hives will usually loose weight during this pollination.
Making APPLES
Apple bloom requires 8-24 visits by pollinators. Good pollen movement is necessary for fruit with high seed count. More seeds make a bigger fruit.
Blueberry Pollination
Honey bees are the “work horses”of managed bees and some estimates suggest that honey bees account for 80% of the insect pollination in agricultural crops. Because the blueberry anthers are protected by the bell-shaped corolla and the pollen is relatively heavy and sticky,
Wind does not aid in the pollination process. If pollination does not occur within two to three days after the flower opens, fruit set is less likely and by 7-8 days becomes improbable. Since insect pollination is essential for maximum blueberry production, failure to produce good crops is frequently the result of poor pollination.