One of the best parts about living in the Hamptons is meeting so many different types of people who make this such a layered, interesting place to live.  Case in point − have you recently met a fearless female beekeeper?  We did.  Robin Blackley shares, “I have lived on the east end since 1976, but my family has actually summered here since the late 1800’s − so I guess you could say I have some pretty deep rooted Hamptons history.”  Learn more about the Queen Bee of East End Apiaries in this NEW KDHamptons Lifestyle Diary, below: 

Robin shares, “The east end is such a special place with so much history.  I grew up on family stories of how Southampton Village was “back then”.  It’s a place where you can kick back and ride your bike to the beach, go surfing, sailing and beach combing.  I love to explore our layered history:  Southampton was New York’s first English settlement, the Montauk Point lighthouse [below] was commissioned by George Washington, Herman Melville mentions Sag Harbor in Moby Dick… I also enjoy the wonderful restaurants on the east end;  doing it all with the most beautiful scenery surrounding you.”

KDHamptons: How did you originally learn about bee keeping?
Robin Blackley: I was out of work in the summer of 1976 and to keep busy I started a big garden in the back yard.  I would be out there tending it and saw the bees pollinating the plants.  I would freeze because I thought I would get stung.  Like so many people, I did not know the difference between honey bees and yellow jackets!  Once I discovered the difference I became fascinated with bees and wanted to learn as much as possible.  I have been keeping bees since around 1985 and formed my company in 1987.

KDHamptons:  What have you learned about the history of bees and their importance in nature?  
Robin Blackly:  When I realized the importance of bees, what they do in terms of pollination, the benefits of honey and pollen, the history of bees, I knew I wanted to keep bees.  Did you know the honey bees are not native to the Americas but were brought over from Europe with the settlers in the 1600s?  The Native Americans called them “the white man’s fly”and there are cave paintings of our ancestors gathering honey with bees flying all around them.  Bet you didn’t know that honey is the only food that does not spoil, helps with allergies, and that people get stung for health benefits?  That all the bees you see working are females?  That even in the dead of winter the temperature is about 92 degrees in the center of the hive?  Knowing all of this, how could one not be inspired?

KDHamptons: What is a typical work day like for you?
Robin Blackley: My day, like any farmer, revolves around the weather. If it’s sunny and warm enough,  I’ll “work bees”, checking on the progress of the hive, if they need more space in the hive, the health of the colony, the amount of pollen & nectar they are gathering, whether or not a colony needs to be split is getting ready to swarm or is getting ready to make a new queen, maintenance to the apiary (bee yard).  If it’s a market day, I’m turning people on to specialty honeys and answering their many questions.

KDHamptons: Where do you sell your honey?
Robin Blackley: Right now you can find me at Farmers Markets in Montauk, East Hampton, Southampton and Westhampton. I sell online, as well as at the following farm stands: The Milk Pail, EECO Farmstand, Halsey Farm & Nursery, 7 Ponds Orchard, Hanks U-Pick, Pumpkintown, Bhumi Farmstand, Long Season Farms, and in specialty stores including: Tate’s, The Candied Anchor, Pleasures of Tea and in NYC at Gastronomie.

KDHamptons: So the question that everyone wants to know is….Are you bitten often?
Robin Blackley: LOL…people always say “bitten”; mosquitoes bite, bees sting…the business end of a bee is at the tip of her abdomen, not her mouth. I get stung frequently and I sometimes will get a gal to sting me if I have a pain somewhere. Many people don’t know about the health benefits of bee stings (bee venom therapy). More info can be found here: American Apitherapy Society’s website: http://www.apitherapy.org.  I’ve found getting stung helps to heal things like joint pain in my hands and knees.  Another informative fact is that unlike yellow jackets,  bees will only sting when they feel threatened.

* For more information please go to: www.EastEndApiaries.com or follow Robin on Facebook @EastEndApiaries and on Instagram @East_End_Apiaries