Located in South Miami, Colony and Comb is a family-run honey company managed by environmental science teacher Virginia Ansaldi. Three years ago, her husband, Ian Wogan, established the honey company, previously known as Garden of Ian, hoping to bring awareness to the drop in bee population and threats to pollinators. Wogan also wished to help the population of bees grow.

“Wogan installed edible landscapes like fruit trees and then bee boxes so those bees function as the pollinators for the edible landscapes. This all started from a concern in bee population and threats to native pollinators from urbanization or pollution. That’s pretty much why we have the colony,” Ansaldi said.

Bees are crucial to Florida’s agricultural environment. Ansaldi suggested a simple way that anyone can help the bees: buying honey from local producers, which helps increase the local population of bees, and refraining  from purchasing bee pollen. Bee pollen is commonly put into smoothies or bowls as a natural energy booster, but producing pollen requires the whole hive to be sacrificed.

During the winter harvesting season, Honey and Comb produces roughly 10 gallons of honey monthly. The honey is harvested by request of the consumer and business is brought in  by word of mouth. Recently,  the business started selling honey to small farmers markets. They have sold alongside their friends who run the Little River Cooperative farm in Little River. The honey cannot be sold in large scale supermarkets because it is non-pasteurized and not approved by the Federal Department of Agriculture.

Contact Info:

Virginia Ansaldi

[email protected]

305-323-9178