About Us

The Egyptians are thought to be the first migratory bee keepers. By moving colonies up and down the Nile on barges in clay pot type hives they were able to extend their season and collect more honey. Today most migratory bee keeping operations focus on pollination because it is often times the most profitable work you can do with bees. Honey is usually seen as a by-product and even a nuisance to pollination bee keepers. Our migration is in the interest of keeping our bees working as long as possible most seasons from February to October and collecting a diverse variety of desert and rocky mountain flower nectars.

We don’t fit into the image most people have of an apiest or beekeeper. We don’t have long gray beards and move slowly through the serene countryside. We drive big trucks and move our bees with forklifts often working through the night after long grueling days in 100 degree Desert sun. As Cedric always says, "beekeeping is just a lot of moving heavy boxes around". However, as with all beekeepers around the world, we are fascinated by the most organized of the insect kingdom and are deeply in love with the honey bee.

About our Bees

Bee Keeping has always been a risky business and we increase our chances of failure with the additional stress we put on our bee colonies. Because of the ever changing environmental stresses our colonies are under we, like many in the past are always trying to breed a better bee. Starting with the survivors of our first year of chemical free beekeeping we have been breeding with feral colonies and the genetically best bees we can find from other independent bee keepers, trying to avoid any of the overly inbred commercial breeders. So far in we have managed to breed a bee which is resistant to the current disease and parasitic problems most bee keepers currently face. We believe that this continued aggressive breeding program will allow us the genetic diversity to withstand any epidemics bees may face in this country.

Meet the Beekeepers

Arik Glesne - the master mind behind Bee Chama Honey, with out his dream none of us would be doing this work.

Cedric Le Blanc - The youngest yet longest standing member of Bee Chama Honey. This is Cedric's last season with Bee Chama Honey. It is a great loss to us and we will miss him. He will be remembered for his great bits of wisdom. "No mater what you are going to have deal with a lot of bees, so get over it." He is also the man who proved that you should never unzip your bee suit in an angry bee yard, no matter what.

Ben Casey - the newest member of the crew, "I'm not angry I just look this way". Don't let Ben scare you with his exuberance, he is good beekeeper and a great guy.

Michael Ward - I don't know why every one thinks I know what is going on around here but I am the complaint department and the information department all rolled into one.

Don't Forget the Support Staff !

Lily Ward - Lily Ward, Michael's wonderful wife, holds things together at home with their 3 incredible children and still she finds time to help talk to customers.  Don't miss her delicious sprouts at the Los Ranchos Growers Market.

Glen - Glen is the household handy man, cook and store clerk.  Glen takes care of the home store and makes sure we stay fed and on our feet for the long work days of summer. Visit him at the store in:

Lemitar, New Mexico
233 West Frontage Road

Keep an eye out for the honey van and our new sign Ben welded for us.