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2026

October 2026 Newsletter
September 2026 Newsletter
August 2026 Newsletter
Where’s the Honey?
Summer Solstice Newsletter
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2025

September
August

Plant Spotlight

Pollinator Plant Spotlight- Mexican Buckeye

 

About Our Beekeeping

So you want to know a little about our beekeeping practices?

  • Rex and Laura place and manage hives on land for Texas Agriculture (Ag) Valuation.   Contact us for pricing on hive management for your 5-20 acres in North Texas.
  • Our honey is RAW. I never heat my honey beyond or above normal ambient summer temperatures during extracting or bottling. Doing so may damage the beneficial enzymes & amino acids, and lower its amazing health benefits.  Our honey (and apiaries) were run to the standards of “Certified Naturally Grown” (CNG) – and as of January 2014 – they approved my CNG status (2015 update – I have since let the CNG status lapse – I may reinstate it later on – but it really seemed to be more of a “marketing thing” at the time we were certified.   It appears that as of 2026 – they have much more strict guidelines in place for beekeeping.).
  • We lightly strain (NOT filter!) honey using a single pass to remove only hive debris and bits of wax. We do NOT filter out pollen granules! All of nature’s goodness is in the bottle! You can taste the difference.  (And yes – unfiltered honey will granulate at cooler ambient room temperatures – it is STILL honey – it can be warmed, or used as-is as a spread on your foods).
  • Our honey bees are queened with reliably sourced queens, bred over the years for behavior, pollination, and honey production, and varroa sensitive hygiene in certain locations. We also select for excellent hygienic behavior in the hives when we are raising our own queens. These girls like their house clean!  Long-term goals are for Varroa-Sensitive hygine (VSH) behavior in all bee yards.

The end result of all this careful effort is an excellent wildflower honey that we carefully bottle and sell on a limited basis for those looking for the very best local honey available.

Ask your doctor (or qualified specialist) to explain the details and fill you in on the medically recognized benefits of local, organically managed, RAW honey!  The FDA says that I cannot make claims as to any medicinal benefits of honey or bee-products such as pollen.

If you have any questions or you live close enough to pick up a jar or two (I don’t ship at this time) please contact me by email or call my bee line at (Dallas area) 469-251-2BEE (2233).   Deliveries can also be arranged.

Rex Smith
Harmony Hollow Apiaries

Bio:

Rex Smith has been beekeeping for 16 years (as of 2026); and for the last 14 years as his full-time vocation. His passion for bees started after being challenged to make his garden produce more – without using chemicals in the garden.  Rex provides beekeeping services in the form of bees and hive management for land ag. valuation, as well as classes / education, honey production and sales. He resides in N. Texas and is the past President of the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers trade organization.

International field work:

 

Laura Winters is a passionate educator, community leader, and dedicated beekeeper based in North Texas. From her earliest years, she developed an innate bond with nature, spending her childhood exploring the outdoors, crafting mud pies, and gently burying insects that had passed on. This lifelong affinity for the natural world eventually harmonized with her background in music as a guitar player, creating a unique foundation for her rhythm-driven, mindful approach to managing honeybee colonies.
Today, Laura is deeply embedded in the regional apiculture community, serving as a trusted voice and educational figure through organizations like the Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association and Harmony Hollow Apiaries. Her work spans practical apiary management, specialized public workshops, and collaborative agriculture ventures.
Community Engagement & Education
Laura is a frequent speaker and instructor at local bee schools, apiaries, and agricultural initiatives. Her teaching profile highlights a broad spectrum of expertise, including:
    • The Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association: As part of their recurring beginner and advanced curriculum, Laura leads specialized instruction on “Products of the Hive”, introducing students to the crafting, extraction, and utility of honey, beeswax, and propolis.

    • Local Apiary Partnerships: Alongside fellow apiarist Rex Smith, she co-hosts seasonal beginner beekeeping bootcamps and classes through the Birds And The Bees Apiary in Garland, Texas.

    • Regional Bee Schools & Conferences: Laura is a staple presenter at major regional events, such as the DFW Area Beekeepers Conference at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Center, where she instructs on “Pollinator Plants”, teaching apiarists how to curate essential forage environments for native bees and managed honeybee colonies.

Hive Management & Agricultural Valuation
In addition to traditional education, Laura works directly with North Texas property owners to manage hives intended for agricultural tax valuation purposes. Through these partnerships, she oversees colony expansions, conducts critical swarm management, performs hive health evaluations, and navigates seasonal challenges to ensure both the property owners and the bees thrive.
Laura’s educational outreach extends to urban agriculture hubs as well, where she frequently collaborates with organizations like Grow North Texas to mentor aspiring urban farmers and mentor classes directly at community resource centers like the Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space. Guided by a deep respect for the hive, Laura continues to expand her mission of connecting people to the vital world of pollinators.

 

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Other Businesses we support:
Key Change Instrument Repair
https://www.keychangemusicrepair.com
Brass, Woodwinds, and Strings repair shop in Redmond (North Seattle area, Washington).  Private music lessons also offered.