The owners of Barters Island Bees – Denny and Donna Denniston - will be speaking Sept. 13 at approximately 1:30 p.m. at the Boothbay Garden Club’s monthly members meeting at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 32 Emery Lane, Boothbay Harbor. They will discuss, among other topics, how their operation addresses two issues that are important to local residents: the welfare of bees and food insecurity.

As you probably guessed from the name of their business, Donna and Denny Denniston are residents of Barters Island. Denny started with 3 hives in 2020. He loved working with the bees and turned out to be pretty good at beekeeping! Soon neighbors were also bitten by the bee bug, and Barters Island's bees now live in hives all around the east side of the island. The Dennistons and their neighbors on the island are committed to providing the bees with the healthiest environment possible... one without harmful pesticides, lots of wildflowers and all the protections that we, as humans, can provide.

Donna is responsible for the creation of the products sold by the company. She'd enjoyed 'honey butter' growing up in Tennessee, but noticed that you don't see it much in Maine. She decided to try 'creaming' some of the honey herself and the product Maine Mousse was born! The Honey Butter is also available infused with organic Blueberry-Lemon, Cinnamon and Gentle Ginger. These mousse-like pure honey products have turned out to be as popular as the original honey!

They both say that the bees allow them to do something positive and creative. When they decided that this endeavor might be a business, they knew they wanted to give back. "Food insecurity and the welfare of bees are two things that we both care about very much. Our bees help us do some good." said Denny. They support Veggies to Table, a non-profit farm providing healthy food and beautiful flowers directly to those in need. As Donna said, "We love the idea of providing the flowers along with the food raised on their farm... something for the body and the soul. Nature at its best!"

Unlike most commercially produced honey, the natural honey that they sell is produced in small batches right on their property. They oversee every step of the process. The raw honey sold is all natural and never filtered or heated. The honey that they use for their Maine Mousse is either from their hives or from the hives of other local Maine beekeepers who maintain these same standards.

The public is encouraged to join us for Denny and Donna’s presentation following the Garden Club’s monthly business meeting which begins at 1 p.m.

The Boothbay Region Garden Club promotes interest in the art and practice of gardening, education and the beautification of the Boothbay Region.  The Club serves the Boothbay peninsula and the surrounding area through gardening projects, programs, education and scholarships—fostering deep friendships through working together to make a difference in our environment.

Come and join us for this informative presentation!

For more information: https://www.boothbayregiongardenclub.org/

https://bartersislandbees.com/