Life is sweet at Licking MO Honey
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Todd and Kristy Fudge are shown with some of their hives.
By Shari Harris
Publisher
Todd Fudge began beekeeping in 2020, and in 2023, he and wife Kristy Fudge opened Licking MO Honey to sell honey and beeswax products. Their business saw a 67 percent increase in honey production from 2023 to 2024, and it continues to grow. Licking MO Honey currently sells honey and beeswax products at four area locations, in addition to festivals and on Etsy (LickingMOHoney.etsy.com).
Kristy Fudge was able to join the business full time this year, allowing for the expansion from 5 to 30 colonies. Last year they extracted 300 pounds of honey from their hives, and this year they saw that increase to 500 pounds. Some of their new, smaller colonies are anticipated to increase production as they mature.
Between checking hives weekly (usually a two-day job), marketing, bottling, labeling, stocking local retailers and making beeswax products, Kristy’s week is full. Todd joins in on weekends and evenings, after his other full-time job. Weekends may be spent at festivals, adding to their already busy schedules.
In addition to their delicious honey, Licking MO Honey offers lip balm, beard balm, honey sticks, beeswax gnomes and other figurines, unscented candles, bars of beeswax and a beautifully detailed honey bowl made of beeswax, with a wooden drizzle stick. They also combine a 6 oz. bottle of honey, a honey bowl with drizzle stick and a lip balm into a gift set. Licking MO Honey products can be seen at Right Away Rent-to-Own and Payday Loan, Pegan’s Salon, Queen’s Castle Spa & Boutique and The Resort at Boiling Springs.
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A honey bowl with drizzle stick, lip balm and honey are included in their gift set.
Last year, Piney River Brewing Company used some of Licking MO Honey to make their Honeybee Helles Lager with Honey.
“We were very proud they used our local honey in their beer,” said Kristy Fudge
There is work required to keep the hives, including feeding the hives and monitoring hive health. Mites and diseases become an issue in the fall, and they have to watch for signs of trouble and treat the hives as needed to keep them strong. The nucs (smaller colony hives) are more vulnerable and require more care. The Fudges must also ensure the hive’s queen is alive and well, and, if necessary, they will graft a queen into a hive that doesn’t have one to ensure the new queen will be a strong one.
Three locations are used to keep their hives. Honeybees will fly in a two to three mile radius to collect nectar, so this spacing prevents competition between hives. They currently keep the smaller hives closest to home, to make it easier to monitor their health, and the larger ones at their other locations.
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Kristy Fudge checks a hive. She takes precautions but warns, “You still get stung sometimes.”
Honey is gathered in the spring and early summer, typically May through early July. The fall honey created by the bees will remain in the hives to develop a storage of food on which the hive will survive through the winter.
“Winter can be hard if they’re not ready,” explained Todd Fudge. “We monitor them to make sure they’re ready, but then we don’t usually bother them from November through January.”
Area beekeepers, including the Fudges, have created the Texas County Missouri Beekeepers Club. They meet the third Thursday of each month at the First Christian Church in Cabool. Many of the members became acquainted this year at the North American Honeybee Expo, in Louisville, Ky. At the Expo, Licking MO Honey’s beeswax candle took second place and their beard balm received honorable mention.
The Fudges are considering expanding their products to include candles with seasonal fragrances, and possibly soaps and lotions. Todd is looking into making tinctures using propolis, a natural resinous mixture with antimicrobial properties that is produced by honey bees. He is also considering selling nucs next year to other beekeepers, and plans to sell queens eventually. The Fudges would like to include their children more in the business as well.
If you’re looking for locally produced honey or beeswax products, you can find Licking MO Honey at any of their local retailers, at Etsy, or check out their Licking MO Honey Facebook page for more information.
