Cornerstone Honey Bees, owned & operated by Chris & Dalene Barnes, was established in 2013, originally as a minor hobby. Today they operate more than 50 hives and offer a diverse array of products & services.
Honey
The honey is raw & unfiltered. “Raw” simply means it is not pasteurized; “Unfiltered” in honey processing terms means that it is not pushed through an ultra-high filter. It is run through a 600 micron strainer in order to remove any stray “bug bits” (wings, legs, etc). As a result, the honey has that “natural, raw” look that is sometimes cloudy and will occasionally crystallize.
Wax
The wax is rendered using Chris and Dalene’s “Solar Wax Melter” and run through a paint strainer to take out the vast majority of non-wax bits. Bee’s wax is used to make candles, soap, lotions, and other products.
Removal of Colonies and Swarms
The main business aspect of Chris and Dalene’s apiary is the removal of honey bee colonies and swarms from places where people don’t want them to be (inside the walls or eves of a house, hollow of a tree in your yard, etc). They remove the bees ALIVE and relocate them into a hive box in one of their bee-yards where they can be productive members of the environment pollinating crops, gardens, and flowers and produce honey.
Hive & Nuc Sales
Cornerstone Honey Bees sell both fully established hives as well as “Nuc” (aka “Nucleus Hive”) hives. For the vast majority of people, purchasing a Nuc gives a new beekeeper the biggest “bang for your buck” and is a very popular way for a beekeeper to begin a new hive.
“1 on 1” Consulting
With the “1 on 1” consulting Chris and Dalene will come to your hives to help you both learn as well as give direct advice on the condition of your hives.
Hive Tours
This is a “show & tell” type of experience which shows the basics of how the bees operate inside a hive. The tour shows visitors the bees’ food (honey, nectar, & pollen), worker & drone bees (and maybe the queen), and the eggs & larval stage baby bees.
Chris and Dalene are very involved in several beekeeping organizations, both locally as well as at the state level.
In 2014 Chris helped start the Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association. This is a local club in Bryan/College Station which meets monthly and averages ~75 members attending the meetings. Dalene is currently serving as the club’s treasurer. Chris is a past club president and is currently serving as the club’s Youth Program Director.
In 2020 Chris was part of a group of people across the state that helped form the Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers – a 501(c)6 trade organization whose goals are to represent our members as well as promote the safe, live removal of honey bees to the general public. Chris is currently serving on the Board of Directors as “Membership Chairman”.
Chris also serves as a volunteer with the Texas Beekeepers Association, the statewide member-based organization that represents all Texas beekeepers and local beekeeping associations. Chris currently serves as the “Club Website Program coordinator”.
Contact information: https://cornerstonehoneybees.com, (979) 220-0004 (Chris), (979) 220-2790 (Dalene), chris@cornerstonehoneybees.com
Location: 5105 Wallis Rd, Bryan, TX 77808