Ogden House Beekeeping
Responding to the threat of the Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder the Fairfield Museum and the Fairfield Garden Club started an Apiary in 2013 introducing two beehives to Ogden House colonial gardens. The importance of beekeeping in colonial times is well documented in the historical record. Because of the lack of native pollinators, Colonists carried skeps along with apple trees on their journeys to America.
Bees provided honey, which was used as a food source and had medicinal value. Bee pollination insured the garden’s productivity — the key to surviving in colonial New England. Today, with major support from individuals, Fairfield University’s Tess Brown and other town organizations, the number of hives in the Apiary has grown to four. The honey, cultivated and jarred by Fairfield Garden Club members, is sold through the Fairfield Museum Shop. In the past three years, hundreds of school children have visited the Ogden House Herb Garden and discovered the traditions of beekeeping, gardening and Colonial times.