About Us
Our Story
The Laissez Faire Honey Farm began with a single beehive in 2018 and continues to grow each year. We currently manage 5 apiaries ("bee yards") in Cleveland and McClain Counties in central Oklahoma. We are registered with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (Certificate Number 549).
Our history goes back much further than that, though. Rhonda is a third generation beekeeper. During her childhood, her grandfather, Vernon Fair, lived next door and could be found processing honey and beeswax all summer long. Her parents, Randy and Susie Fair, currently manage several hundred beehives in northwestern Louisiana. They continue to be a source of advice and guidance in all things bee-related.
The Laissez Faire Approach
Just like our name implies, we let the bees be. They've been making honey for years, and they know what to do without too much interference. We keep hive inspections to a minimum, only checking that the queen is laying eggs. Nevertheless, honeybees are livestock, so we do make sure that they have adequate food and water and treat them for pests like the varroa mite.
We also take a laissez faire approach to our final product. The honey you purchase directly from us will have only been handled by a single beekeeper - Rhonda. And that honey will come directly from hives she manages. The honey will be strained to remove the stray bee's wing or flake of beeswax, but is unfiltered to maintain its essential raw properties.
Our Environmental Commitment
We're proud to be a third generation beekeeper and want to ensure that our work leaves the world a better place for future generations. To that end, we are committed to:
- Using sustainable practices to the greatest extend possible.
- Cultivating plant species that help all pollinators, especially native bees and butterflies, and that are drought tolerant.
- Preferring recyclable and reusable packaging, such as glass jars whenever possible.
- Refurbishing and rehabilitating honey processing equipment and wooden hive components.
- Using by-products from honey production, such as beeswax, in order to reduce our environmental footprint.