Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas & Jo Ann Townsend
Hi Thomas & Jo Ann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Our farm is family owned and operated. My wife and I have been operating the farm for forty-three years. We started raising our first hives of honeybees around forty years ago. When our daughter came down with Leukemia in 1988, I had to take on another job that required me to travel extensively. Because of this I was not around enough to properly take care of our bees and as a result they suffered, and I had to let them go.
Fast forward to 2020 when we found we had time to properly take care of the bees again. We already knew just how much better the flowers and crops did when we had Honeybees to help pollinate. So, we decided to start raising honeybees again. It has and still is a learning experience as we have expanded our number of hives every year. Learning about all the enemies and parasites that constantly threaten bees now, along with the threat of pesticides used by many individuals today has kept us on our toes. We absolutely love our honeybees and enjoy the challenges we have overcome as we have learned better management techniques.
We started the learning process of infusing our honey with natural and healthy ingredients such as fresh Ginger root, Ceylon Cinnamon. Madagascar Vanilla beans, Garlic, and Habanero to make nutritious healthy blends that help people in all kinds of ways. We also take our Ginger infused honey and make a powerful anti inflammatory by mixing organic Turmeric root power and black pepper.
Individuals who have tasted the honey our bees make say it is absolutely the most delicious honey they have ever tasted!! One older gentleman said, “It tastes so good it will make your tongue slap your brains out!!” and we just have to agree with him!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning about the different pest and diseases that can attack and harm Honeybees has been an ongoing learning experience. We have had to experience hive loses due to a multitude of causes such as pesticides others use around us, weather conditions and over insulating the hives during winter weather causing moisture build up and thus freezing the honeybees. Learning when to feed the bees to help them out during the Dearth, and during the late fall and then transitioning the type of food the honeybees need to give them energy through the winter.
We have also had to learn when a queen is not laying properly, how to tell if a hive is sick, and how to prevent a hive from swarming.
These are just a few of the problems beekeepers have to learn to navigate through.
We’ve been impressed with SpringHill Farm & Apiary, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We purchased Tommy’s Great Grandfather’s farm when we got married & have lived on this farm for 45 years. We have been blessed and enjoyed the variety of things we could do for our children and grandchildren to grow up in a good, healthy environment. We had honey bees in early 80’s but Tommy was traveling more with work and they got hive moths infested and perished. We got back into the bees in 2018-19 and have quickly grown to expand in our bee products and services. We both took a Honey Bee class in the County Beekeepers Association and became Certified beekeepers. We are active members of Union County and Stanly County Beekeepers Assoc. & are lifetime members of the NC State Beekeepers Association. Tommy serves as a mentor and is working toward his Journeyman Certification level as he works with me to help others get a good start in Beekeeping. Tommy and I both currently serve in Board positions for Stanly Co Beekeepers Association. We have experimented with other bee products to sell at shows and on a Website we had developed (SpringHillFarm.net) to expand our clientele. We produce special Body Butter Lotions, Beard Balms, Lip Balms, and 100% Beewax Candles, as well as our own Naturally Infused Honeys. We use natural, organic foods to infuse each for at least 30 days in each batch. Varieties include Natural Garlic infused, Natural Ginger Infused, Natural Vanilla Infused, Natural Cinnamon Infused, and Habanero infused honey. We also make a Habanero/Reaper Extra Hot Honey. We use our naturally infused Ginger Honey as a base to add Organic Turmeric and black pepper to produce an Awesome Turmeric Ginger Honey. Each of these honeys have good health benefits and help to naturally keep your body well. The Turmeric Ginger Honey has become one of the favorite sellers. We just recently began producing an all natural Elderberry Syrup also, for health benefits of colds and flu, etc. We strive to bring top quality ingredients to our products to make them taste better and have top quality benefits for our customers.
Additional products we represent to sell to others include an InstaVap Oxalic Acid vaporizer machine for treating Varroa mites, A Cusyom Bee Vac for use in harvesting & saving bees during cut-outs or bee swarms, We promote and sell Apimaye Bee Hive Boxes and accessories for bee homes. We sell other custom made crafts from various Artisans. We sell limited clothing and hats with our Farm Logo also.
To learn more about us and our products, visit our website (SpringHillFarm.net) or contact us through our email (SpringHillFarmApiary@gmail.com) or, if you live close, call & come visit us at the farm.
What does success mean to you?
Success is being able to grow and expand the business by helping others learn and keep honey bees & improve knowledge about bees and their environment. We also find success in helping people stay healthy and hearing that our products are providing the benefits to our customers that they expected.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SpringHillFarm.net
- Instagram: SpringHillFarmApiary
- Facebook: SpringHill Farm&Apiary
- Youtube: @SpringHillFarmApiary
- Other: SpringHillFarmApiary@gmail.com
Image Credits
All images are the property of SpringHill Farm & Apiary
