Cleveland, a city that is often associated with its industrial past, is quietly cultivating a new future: urban farming. Farmers across the area are transforming neglected spaces into vibrant havens of fresh produce and community connection. One Mt. Pleasant urban farmer is sharing his love of bees, with hopes of inspiring a new generation of beekeepers.
Trey Williams is the founder and CEO of Hood Honey, located at 3410 East 119th Street. He created the farm to offer long-term resources to residents. From providing a place to access fresh produce to educating others on the importance of bees in nature, Williams sees the farm as a way to encourage good health and positive change in the community.
He took the time to answer some questions as Signal Cleveland followed along during a morning of bee maintenance.
Good morning. Can you share with us how you were introduced to beekeeping?
I started gardening first. I got my green thumb from my dad. In 2012, he brought me collard green, cherry tomato and green pepper seeds. I really got into it. Then in 2016 I started another garden and I got pretty serious with it. I slowed down for a bit after that. Then when I started gardening consistently again in 2021, I started to do beekeeping.
The idea of beekeeping was solely from me and a friend of mine getting together and trying to figure out what to do in the community. We already had gardens, so we were thinking of ways to make the urban farming experience more fun and appealing, and we decided on beekeeping.
What has the experience been like introducing beekeeping to a community that traditionally doesn’t engage with this type of hobby?
I wanted to take something “traditional” or “not cool” in our common thoughts and make it cool. Giving it an interesting name, calling it Hood Honey, actually being in the ‘hood.’ I have a connection with this area. This portion of land that we are sitting on was where my grandmother’s house once stood. Like everything, it took some time for the community to come around. Now I give classes on beekeeping to kids and adults. Each year we get more and more people taking the classes. I’m happy to see that.
I’m really trying to bring balance to the area. Just the other day, somebody lost their life one street over. I saw the medical examiner pull up and loved ones pull up, everyone was crying. There are a lot of things that go on here, and the way I see it, blending stuff that people in this area know, like the hood, with stuff that we don’t know, like honey and bees, is a way to counterbalance that.
Can you share with our readers some of the benefits to having bees in the ecosystem?
Where do I start? We all like to eat. Most of our food is pollinated by bees. Bees essentially help plants reproduce, which provides a lot of the foods that we eat — apples, cherries and even steak. What do you think the cows are eating? I don’t think people realize how much loss we would suffer if bees weren’t around.
How many bees are here on the farm?
I have nine bee hives. During peak season, there are usually anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 bees per hive. It’s safe to say that we’ve probably seen a million bees at once here.
Can you talk us through a day in the life of a beekeeper? What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities?
You have to mentally prepare yourself. You can’t deal with bees when it’s raining or in the winter time, so typically you’re working with them a lot in the summer time when it’s hot. You don’t know how the bees are going to be feeling each day, so you have to be ready for anything.
I usually start around 11 a.m. or noon. The first thing you have to do is get your smoker started. Smoke is used as a way to distract the bees so that when you deal with the hive, it decreases your chances of getting stung. One wrong move could cost you your life while doing this, so a lot of this is just about being hyper-focused.
Next, I check the health of the bees. I look for the queen bee in each hive to make sure that she’s doing what she’s supposed to do, checking to see if she is laying eggs. I make sure the worker bees are doing their thing, bringing food in and out the hive or repairing the hive. Just an overall general wellness check. I check all the hives to see if they have produced any honey. Before I close the hives, I make sure that their feeders are filled with sugar water as well. The entire process can take me anywhere from two to three hours.
How many times a day would you say you get stung?
It all depends on the day. Some days I can go out there and not get stung, some days I’ve gotten stung as soon as I start. You also never know how the bees are going to feel that day. The most I’ve been stung in one day was something like 15 to 20 times. It still hurts to get stung, even though I’m used to it. I’ll continue to get stung if that means I can taste the raw honey.
Is the farm open to the public?
Yes, the farm is open to the public. On Sundays, I teach adult classes on beekeeping. It’s a raunchy class in some ways — I just want to keep it light and fun. It’s a $20, two-hour class. The first hour is on bee education and the second hour, we suit up and interact with the hives. To register for classes or to set up a farm tour, email me at hoodhoney216@gmail.com.
Where can our readers purchase your honey?
For now, they can email me to purchase. I’m currently working on being able to order from our website. We do a lot of pop-ups across the city at different markets and festivals. I post where Hood Honey is going to be on my Instagram page, so you can follow that for updates.