Day in the life: All the 'buzz' about being a hotel beekeeper
The Carneros Resort and Spa has many features you'd expect from a luxury resort in the heart of California's Napa Valley: sophisticated farmhouse style, a tranquil spa and extraordinary views of the neighboring vineyards.
However, there is one other thing that helps to maintain the resort's harmony with nature: small, black-and-yellow insects that buzz as they flit from flower to flower — bees.
The 28-acre Carneros Resort and Spa has an on-site apiary with three thriving bee colonies cared for by Rob Keller, beekeeper and founder of the Napa Valley Bee Company. TPG recently spoke with Keller to learn more about the resort and what goes into being a hotel beekeeper.
A focus on sustainability
Caring for its six-legged residents is only one example of Carneros Resort and Spa's commitment to sustainability. The resort is a member of Beyond Green, a worldwide portfolio of hotels with a proven focus on sustainability.
At Carneros, this means eco-friendly design and architecture that conserve energy and water, eco-friendly in-room amenities, and restaurants that feature organic ingredients from local purveyors.
Among its many services, Carneros Resort and Spa gives guests opportunities to commune with the nature it works so hard to protect. The resort is designed to blend in with the rolling hills and vineyards so guests can fully immerse themselves in the beauty of Napa's landscape, and complimentary bicycles are also available to further explore its natural surroundings.
The resort also provides weekly tours of its culinary garden and chicken coops; outdoor spaces to gather over wine, lawn games and live music; artisan food and wine tastings and more.
Becoming a resort beekeeper
Under the supervision of Keller, a veterinary technician and artist turned master beekeeper, guests have the opportunity to learn how the bees fit into the surrounding ecosystem and how they're cared for. Keller, in his own words, "fell in love with these little six-legged insects" after receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Davis, where he began incorporating bees into his art practice.
These experiences spurred Keller to return to UC Davis and enroll in its Master Beekeeper program, where he started down the path of regenerative, or bee-centric, beekeeping.
"Regenerative beekeeping is a management philosophy that looks to regenerate — or heal — the bees. As a regenerative beekeeper, I try and think about how I can better work with the bees and what's in their best interest," Keller told TPG.
Keller has been managing bees in the Napa area for 25 years, helping people and businesses with hive management through consultations, education and safe swarm removal. About a year ago, the Carneros Resort and Spa asked Keller to start a beekeeping program at the resort.
"They called me in to help support the bee population and let me run with developing my own program," Keller said. "One of the things I like most about working with the Carneros Resort is that they are like-minded in terms of sustainability and the bees' importance to the ecosystem," he added.
Today, Keller manages the resort's log hives (pictured below), which provide a more natural environment for the bees than traditional box hives.
"On a typical day at the resort, I'll walk around the resort to monitor and check on the bees. Not necessarily to take any particular action, but to keep a pulse on the colonies," Keller said.
The day-to-day tasks of a resort beekeeper can vary immensely. On some days, the resort's tree trimmers may call Keller and tell him they found a colony of bees living in a tree, and Keller will figure out how to safely move the bees to a new location. On others, Keller might be educating guests about his practices or working with the restaurant staff to determine the best forage to plant in the culinary garden for the bees.
"It's mostly things you can plant at home like anise, fennel, oregano, rosemary, basil and other herbs," Keller explained. "They'll also cut flowers from the garden and bring them into the restaurant."
How resort guests can become a beekeeper for the day
On Saturdays, Keller leads the resort's "All the Buzz" tour. The tour gives guests a behind-the-scenes look at life in the apiary, where they learn about the life cycle of bees and their habitat. Guests can view inside the beehives and, at the end of the tour, sample honey from the hives along with cheese and wine chosen by Keller.
Keller's goal is to meet guests where they are in their knowledge of bees.
"I don't have a set curriculum; if they have a lot of experience with bees, we will talk at a higher level. If not, we can do more of an introduction," Keller said. "We will walk the grounds, look at the log hives, and try our best to find the queen. Some guests may not be immediately comfortable getting close to a bee colony, but we make sure guests are fully protected."
With Keller's guidance, guests go home with a newfound appreciation for bees and an education on how they can help protect these vital beings by planting pollinator-friendly gardens at home.
Bottom line
Bees do so much for us. Yes, they provide us with honey, but they also pollinate most of our crops.
Caring for them is an important job, and people like Keller are not only caring for bees in a way that supports their long-term health, but he is also educating guests at Carneros Resort and Spa so they can do their part.
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