Milea Bee Farm

 Milea Orchard and Bee Farm is a bee culture facility which strives to educate people about bees, how to start your own bee farm, and from misconceptions about honey production. Coming from Manila, take a bus from Buendia or Cubao to Lipa City in Batangas via Lemery. Because we couldn't find one via Lemery, we took one straight to Lipa City (Php124 from Buendia), then rode a jeepney headed to Lemery (Php17 each). Either way, ask the driver to drop you off at Valentino Resort. From there, tricycles charge Php45-50 to Milea (one way, 2-3pax). Don't be alarmed when the tricycle stops at a dead-end residential area of sort. The path to the farm is here.

Just follow the cleared path. There were make-shift rubber tires made as steps. Parking can be accommodated somewhere by the roadside, just ask around or inform the farm that you have a vehicle.

More steps

Cleared pathway.

Nearing the Milea Farm entryway.

Milea entry gate.

The bee farm tour, priced Php200, was probably worth much more, and we appreciate the affordable rate they gave. Tours are supposedly by appointment only every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 9:30AM and 2PM. So please reserve in advance via phone or thru their Facebook chat. 

Walk straight to the mini hut where guests will have an orientation and be informed of the tour's simple guidelines.

Outside the reception hut, boxes of no-sting bees of varying types were shown. Mr. Rico was the one who facilitated the tour for our group, and explained that potential bee farmers don't need fancy materials to start.

European bees cultivating a honeycomb of nectar. We were asked to be calm and not move aggressively as bees might misjudge quick moves as attack.

Path along the farm. We were guided around the area which housed plenty of flowers and plants for the bees. The nectar coming from different flowers and fruits ensure that the bees will produce a healthy, healing honey.

The tour also taught us of the wrong process used for honey cultivation. Some farms would feed their bees white sugar instead of having them collect nectar from various flowers. This allows for a year-round production of fake honey, which is pure sugar honey, and could result in diabetes. Be wary of businesses like these. Pure honey is almost liquid, not thick, the darker the better, and will not solidify inside the fridge.

Mr. Rico demonstrating the reaction of honey with water.

After the tour, we were taken back to the hut and offered delicious snacks. All products came from the garden, like the natural fruit juice.

Suman, sticky rice cakes in varying shapes and flavours were available; as well as grated coconut (toppings), and thick sweet sauce (latik).

Everything was fresh and tasty.

Natural products made with honey were also available for sale. The smallest jar of honey was priced Php100. They also had lotion, lip balms, sprays, soaps, etc.

Remarks:

• Honey is great. It can actually heal many ailments or be used as vitamins because, technically, it's supposedly a culmination of different nutrients from fruits and flowers. That's why it's important to be aware of the type of honey you're consuming, where they come from, and the process they use to acquire it. 
• Basically all honey sold in commercial markets are not pure eventhough their labels say "pure". This is because the agency responsible for approval of these products have a certain criteria on which can be classified as honey. And most commercial honeys can reach these criteria. It's not as straightforward like 'it has to be 100% pure, no added sugar'. A percentage of sugar is allowed, and the food agency will still classify the product as honey even with 70% sugar or more. 
• Aside from learning about honey, Mr. Rico also introduced to us the plants bearing familiar scents like cinnamon tree, vanilla tree, a plant leaf which smells exactly like mentos, a tea plant, and so much more.
• The farm's cause is to spread bee farming all over our country. Inside the hut, you can see about 2 dozen certifications given to Milea Bee Farm for their expertise in the field, and various cities they helped by conducting seminars about bee farming.

Milea Bee Farm

Kurba Rd, Lipa, Batangas

Contact Mr. Rico Omoyon

Tel: 0917-8888-438