To wrap up September and National Honey Month, we spoke with resident beekeeper Sierra Malnove to highlight the unique experiences of PGA National Resort beekeepers and its admirable honey bee sustainability initiatives.

PGA National Resort is the only hotel in Palm Beach County that raises bees and harvests honey as part of its sustainability initiatives. Malnove also hosts hour-long beekeeping classes for guests and members. She started keeping bees for the Broken Sound Club 10 years ago, and now manages hives for more than 30 country clubs in the area through her company, Sierra’s Bees. In 2020, she also co-founded Palm Beach Creamed Honey. pgaresort.com, sierrasbees.com, creamedhoney.com

Why do you think the hotel wanted to keep bees?

Malnova: This is a beautiful property where you will feel like in paradise. The visual show they provide to guests and center members is a buffet for pollinators. So keeping bees comes full circle. Now not only can we see beauty, but we also have something we can taste.

How does the center use honey?

Malnova: Restaurants and bars are taking full advantage of it, showcasing it in signature cocktails and specialty dishes like Honeybelle Hot Honey for pizza and fried chicken and The Butcher’s Club Honey Butter.

How does keeping bees help the ecosystem on a larger scale?

Malnova: We work with gentle Italian honeybees, so when they mate with local bees, this injection of genetics helps make wild colonies nicer and less aggressive.

Why don’t more hotels keep bees?

It is not very expensive or time-consuming. I manage the program, but it is a commitment. They need to invest in it before I join the program. Bees will sting and defend the colony when necessary, so special care must be taken to keep bees where people are. My highest priority as a beekeeper is to provide a good experience for everyone – whether that is up close like beekeeping or simply through honey for guests and members.

What is the unique healing property?

Malnova: If you have allergies, microdosing with a teaspoon of local honey and pollen daily may be helpful. The best way to find hyperlocal honey is to find a local beekeeper through a beekeepers association. I was vice president of the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association for a year. Most honey in the supermarket will be mixed with imported honey to reduce costs.

Filtered or unfiltered?

Malnova: Our creamy honey is certified kosher, so it is filtered to remove insects, but is not ultrafiltered to remove pollen. We want to keep as much pollen in the honey as possible.

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