Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with Honey-Themed Offerings at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe

Celebrate National Honey Bee Day on Saturday, August 17, 2024, with Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe. First observed in 2009, National Honey Bee Day brings together beekeepers, beekeeping clubs and associations to commemorate honey bees and recognize their contributions. Guests of Four Seasons can sample a honey-infused cocktail in Terra Bar, book a relaxing honey-inspired treatment in The Spa, and take part in tours highlighting the honey bee production and onsite “Betty’s Bees” apiary.

“Our onsite apiary not only supplies estate-produced honey, but also connects back to the property’s original founding as a working ranch,” says General Manager Melissa Sims. “We have plentiful acreage to welcome our native pollinators and are excited to share this special offering with our guests and local visitors.”

Kick off National Honey Bee Day with a “Fly By” tour of the apiary, offering a 10-minute overview of the honey bee operation as part of the complimentary morning hike, led by the Adventure Center team. Stop into Terra Bar later that day for a Beekeeper’s Tonic, combining house-infused honeycomb, citrus, lavender, Aviation American Gin, lavender syrup, tonic water, honey, lemon and thyme. The Spa will feature the Healing Honey Ritual, an 80-minute treatment utilizing local honey for a relaxing scrub and massage, offered for USD 295, not inclusive of tax and gratuity.

Adventure Center guide and resident beekeeper Amy Fredericks was instrumental in developing the onsite bee program in spring 2023, starting with two colonies from a local bee stalk, with the goal of producing honey for use throughout the property. Fredericks worked to create a pollinator-friendly environment on property, including reducing the use of pesticides, and planting a native pollinator garden. She sourced sustainable compost with Reunity Resources, building upon the existing property partnership that donates food waste to this organization for composting. The bee colony also helps support the property’s onsite Chef’s Garden, creating a higher yield of organic produce including squash, peppers and herbs utilized in Terra and throughout the Resort.

The property now has four hives in the apiary; an established hive can produce 60 pounds of honey each season, depending on annual rainfall. A typical hive contains 40,000 to 60,000 honey bees, and each bee produces one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifespan. Says Fredericks, “It truly takes a village to produce a jar of honey!”

Fredericks is excited to share her passion for beekeeping with guests. The “Fly-By” complimentary tours are offered on a seasonal basis and give visitors an overview of the bee production onsite. For a more immersive experience, guests can book the two-hour “Hive Dive” tour, donning a bee suit to see the bees in action. Guests will join Fredericks for a weekly hive inspection, learning about the importance of pollinators and their connection to the environment, as well as have the chance to taste the fresh honey from the hive.

To learn more about Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe or to book a stay in the Land of Enchantment, click here.