Country Rubes

Weatherproofed Beekeeping equipment

It is with deep sadness that I share that my husband, Mike, passed away suddenly from a heart attack. As many of you know, we were running low on inventory, and I needed to pause operations while navigating this loss and determining the future of Country Rubes. I am now grateful to announce that Stewart and Kate Gray have purchased Country Rubes Enterprises. They plan to begin production this summer, with all of our products expected to be available again by Winter/Spring. Stewart and Kate are experienced commercial beekeepers with a fully equipped shop and the expertise needed to continue making our products with care. I will be working closely with them to ensure the quality and craftsmanship you’ve come to expect remain unchanged. Thank you for your patience, your support, and your kindness during this difficult time.

Beekeeping was never on the list of things we wanted to do but suddenly in 1995 our farm simply stopped producing due to lack of pollination. As 30+ year organic gardeners, we were disappointed to discover that in order to keep bees we would have to use some type of pesticide to save them from the Varroa Mites. The least toxic form of chemical is Apistan which is no longer killing all of the mites, but knocking them down to the floorboard where they are revived and climb back on the bees. These tougher Apistan resistant mites require a stronger pesticide to kill them.Trying to get back to our organic roots, we started working with screens, sticky boards and powdered sugar (click here for full instructions) to control Varroa Mites. This board is the accumulation of years of experiments plus the help and advice of our more experienced beekeeper friends. We are excited about the results we are getting and are sure you will be equally pleased.