Sugarberry Slope

Sugarberry Slope Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Sugarberry Slope, Home & Garden Website, 5725 S Hiwassee Road, Choctaw, OK.
(1)

With honey and other bee products gathered from our own apiaries, and jams and jellies, pickles and relishes, made from produce grown free of chemicals, we are committed to a natural lifestyle that helps support Mother Earth.

We inspect hives on a regular basis and smoke is used to calm the bees however it doesn’t always work. This is one of th...
09/03/2026

We inspect hives on a regular basis and smoke is used to calm the bees however it doesn’t always work. This is one of those days.

08/30/2026

And she landed that one and all her sisters are there to witness the feat.

This is Cestrum nocturnum or night-blooming jasmine. It does bloom all day but becomes fragrant at night. This shrub, wh...
08/29/2026

This is Cestrum nocturnum or night-blooming jasmine. It does bloom all day but becomes fragrant at night. This shrub, which is over 6 feet tall, is from a cutting of one my mother had. It is not native but does thrive here, being drought and heat tolerant.

It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, among other things. Because the flower is so long, and the honeybee’s proboscis is so short, it is of no value to our bees.

But today, I saw a very odd sight. A honeybee with her entire head stuck in one of the flowers. I guess that nectar smelled so sweet she couldn’t help herself and pushed the issue. She was just hanging there with her little legs paddling in the wind. I wish I had my camera with me, it was a great shot. Instead, I shook the branch and dislodged her.

There are perfectly nice and accessible partridge pea and goldenrod near by, but this gal wanted what she could not have. 🤣

Still wish I had my camera.

Partridge pea is a native late-season blooming plant that provides pollen and nectar to the bees. It has an amazing way ...
08/28/2026

Partridge pea is a native late-season blooming plant that provides pollen and nectar to the bees. It has an amazing way of providing nectar to a wider range of pollinators via two nectar distribution sites; one inside the flower for those with long receptacles (even hummingbirds), and another through special leaf nodes for those with short receptacles.

At this time of year, especially in drought, they offer a critical source of food for our honeybees and the natives that call Sugarberry Slope their home.

It is drought tolerant and can get quite tall, which is why you probably want it at the back of your garden. Ours are all volunteers, and this particular stand is behind our backyard fence.

If you wish to have partridge pea in your habitat, seeds are available at most online native plant sources. You can always hit me up for a couple pods as well. Plant in fall, like nature does, and you’ll have partridge pea next summer.

08/28/2026

I like basil in my herb garden, not only for how it performs in the kitchen, but how it doubles as late season food for all species of bees. In this video, honeybees, and native bees (including bumble bees) are all getting nectar from this plant.

If you want to attract bees to your small yard, plant a large amount each of a few things versus a small each amount of many things. When foraging, bees like to collect from one type of flower. They prefer to have a 1/4 acre of sunflowers over a 1/4 acre of sunflowers, zinnia, coneflower, and clover. Plant in large bunches, sunflower here, zinnia there, etc., and watch the bees come in.

Come see us in Seminole tonight.
08/21/2026

Come see us in Seminole tonight.

08/21/2026

The hummingbirds are enjoying the rain.

08/21/2026

As beekeepers, we put a lot of faith in our bee suits, as they help reduce the number of stings.

We do that for 2 reasons:
1 It hurts and there is a possibility of anaphylactic shock.
2 A sting is a death sentence to the bee.

A bee sting is a painful injury that happens after a bee pierces your skin and injects venom. Minor stings can be treated but a severe allergic reaction requires immediate medical attention. We carry a EpiPen if that were to ever occur.

Death to the ladies? Yes, the stinger is structured with barbs and once it punctures human skin it is stuck. As the honeybee struggles to remove the stinger it ruptures its lower abdomen resulting in death.

A honeybee stinger is about 1.5 to 3 millimeters (roughly 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch) long. To protect our ladies, we purchase triple layered suits that are designed to create a physical barrier between our skin and the bees. Layering allows adequate airflow opportunities designed to prevent the stinger from reaching our skin.

Our gloves, although still prevent stings, come in a variety of configurations from triple layered configurations to 7 mm nitrile gloves. The layered full-length gloves provide a lot of protection however reduces the ability to type or take pictures or use our phones. For those instances we choose the nitrile gloves as pulling the gloves on/off creates unnecessary risk.

Most times when we open the hives the bees are fairly calm however there are times when ….

Enjoy the video and know that my clothing protected me during this entire adventure.

08/21/2026

I’ve heard told from our forefathers that this is called RAIN!!

Many citizens are noticing bees and wasps at their hummingbird feeders. While it isn’t hurting anything (the hummers wil...
08/18/2026

Many citizens are noticing bees and wasps at their hummingbird feeders. While it isn’t hurting anything (the hummers will still come in for feeding), it can be annoying if the feeders are near a doorway or where people congregate.

The reason you are seeing bees and wasps at the feeders is the dearth combined with drought has removed natural nectar sources (flowers) and the bees are desperate for carbohydrates. A little rain would help with the fall blooms but it doesn’t look promising.

One solution is to move the feeders further away from the home and let things go where they will.

Another option is to put out a shallow dish of 1 : 1 sugar water. This is a higher concentration of sugar than the hummingbird nectar and will attract the bees. Add rocks to the dish so the bees don’t drown and place it away from traffic areas where people frequent.

This will help. The more dishes you put out the more it will help. Plus, You may need to bring the feeders in for a day or two, first, so the bees / wasps find the dish.

Address

5725 S Hiwassee Road
Choctaw, OK

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sugarberry Slope posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category