Backyard Beehive Wonders: A Sweet, Surreal Community Field Trip in Maple Grove

On a sunny, breezy afternoon on Aug 10, 2025, ZIRAN and a group of curious community members gathered for an unforgettable experience: a guided tour of a backyard beehive hosted by local backyard beekeeper Yichen, right here in Maple Grove. For many of us, it was nothing short of surreal.

Arriving at the Hive

Around 2 p.m., families and individuals from all over the Twin Cities, teens, adults, and kids, began trickling into Yichen’s backyard. One family came impressively prepared, dressed fashionably like real beekeepers in all white!

To everyone’s surprise, the beehive was located just a few feet from the basement patio, under a deck, and not far from a neighboring yard. Yichen, a software engineer working at Medtronic became a hobby backyard beekeeper after taking a course at the University of Minnesota, assured us, “Honeybees won’t attack unless disturbed. A sting costs them their life.” For those who wanted a closer look, he even handed out veil hats. That was enough to put most people at ease. Grace joked, “Visiting a friend’s bees feels like coming to say hi to his kids; we aren’t strangers, we share a connection.”

Someone asked, “Do your neighbors ever complain about having beehives so close?”

Yichen smiled, “Not at all! The bees don’t bother them, and I often share my honey with them!”

Nature Meets Medicine

Among the guests was Dr. Yin, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner specializing in herbal plants. He shared a fascinating insight: bee stings, if not triggering allergic reactions, can actually help relieve arthritis pain. “Don’t believe me?” he laughed. “Just Google it! “

Lessons from the Hive

Yichen introduced us to the world of honeybees: how they build hives, collect nectar, and turn a worker bee egg into a queen. He also explained how the bees survive Minnesota’s brutal winters by clustering tightly for warmth and feeding on the honey they've stored. If the weather is too cold, he will wrap the hive with a special insulating blanket.

We also learned that bees have an incredibly precise internal mapping system. If the hive is moved more than three feet, forager bees returning home will most likely get lost.

Then came the most thrilling moment: opening the hive and searching for the queen. Yichen began by gently fumigating the bees, using smoke made from burning mugwort. Dr. Yin immediately recognized the scent from his acupuncture practice. “Amazing,” he said, “mugwort has a magical effect even here!” One by one, guests leaned in, some so close their faces were within an arm’s length of the buzzing colony.

New Neighbors Move In

A fun side story: the smaller hive on the property had originally been empty until May, when a swarm of bees unexpectedly moved in and began building their own buzzing kingdom! The taller hive next to it had been there for three years; now both colonies coexist peacefully, though they fiercely defend their own turf. A bold bumblebee attempting to steal honey was found stung dead at the entrance.

From Hive to Jar

After our time outside, Yichen invited us into the basement for a live demonstration of honey extraction. The process was entirely mechanical and chemical-free, using a hand-cranked centrifuge; it used no heating or fine filtering. This results in a honey much lighter in color than store-bought versions, which are often heated and processed to ensure a long shelf-life.

Honey Tasting

Then came the sweetest part, literally. Unlike store-bought honey, the freshly harvested version was light, floral, and smooth. Kids couldn’t stop going back for more, and adults were just as enchanted.

Families left with jars of golden goodness in hand; some even whispered about starting their own hives one day. Whether or not we ever become beekeepers, we all walked away as bee lovers.

The by-product, beeswax, formed beautiful geometric patterns, leaving kids and families in awe as they leaned in to feel and inspect it closely. One curious child even took a bite, only to discover that just as the old Chinese saying goes “tasteless, like chewing wax” (味如嚼蜡).

Beyond its novelty, beeswax is valuable on its own and is widely used in beauty, food, and household products- from lip balms and candles to food wraps and wood polish. Dr. Yin added, beeswax also has medicinal uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

City Bees, Cleaner Honey?

One participant raised a thoughtful question: “Do urban bees have more pesticides in their honey?”

Surprisingly, the answer was no. Urban bees forage from a diverse range of flowers in cities, such as those in parks and gardens, leading to significantly lower exposure to harmful chemicals in their nectar and pollen than when compared to bees in agricultural environments, where far more pesticides are used on crops. According to the USDA, data suggest that honey bees are exposed to fewer pesticides in urban and suburban areas than in agricultural ones.

Final Buzz

This event was a heartwarming blend of science, sustainability, and community bonding; it shows that powerful environmental learning doesn’t need to happen in a classroom or even on a farm. Sometimes, learning can happen right in our community, around the corner in someone’s backyard.

We came curious and left inspired, well, inspired and a little sticky with honey.

🧡 Thank you, Yichen, for opening your home and hive to us. And thank you, bees, for the sweetness and wisdom you bring to our world. 🐝 (Read more in “Why bees are essential to people and planet”)