Homestead and Ministry House
Offering Bees, Bee Products, Eggs and Chickens
The ministry house at Romanko’s Roost
Bees
Our current spring/summer plan for 2024 includes selling 5 nucs but no mated queens. We do not breed queens but we keep only queens that produce docile offspring and bees that are Varroa resistant. We have implemented a plan for VSH bees for 2024. If through the season we have extra queens, we are open to selling them. Our long term business plan includes the sale of nucs and mated queens.
Contact us to schedule a tour of our Roost Apiary. You can also find our apiaries at Broemmelsiek and Towne Parks in St. Charles County.
Bee Products
We have 2023 honey for sale! We have lip or hand/foot balms available. Visit our Products page or contact us for information.
Bee products are only products from bee activity (includes human intervention): honey, wax, lip balm, hand/foot balm. We think of beekeeping products as anything within the business of bee keeping: colony hardware, varroa treatments, etc. Currently, we are not planning to sell beekeeping supplies.
Eggs and Chickens
We have eggs for local pickup/delivery (Troy, Missouri). Visit our Products page.
We cannot currently sell hatchlings due to heavy flying predation during 2023. Hawks and owls.
Our chickens are free range. We keep them within fencing for ground level predator protection.
Contact Us/Products
Honey2023
Honey
12 oz. Plastic bear – $9.00 + shipping/handling
1 lb. plastic bottle – $11.00 + shipping/handling
1.5 lb. glass mason jar – $15.00 + shipping/handling
3 lb. plastic bottle – $25.00 + shipping/handling
Eggs
Farm Fresh dozen – $3.00 local pick-up/delivery only
Treat Yourself
Lip Balm (Thieves) – $2.00 + shipping/handling
Hand/Foot Bar (Lavender/Vanilla) (Thieves/Orange/Vanilla) (Chamomile/Jasmine) – $5.00 + shipping/handling
Proceeds from the sales of all products support the ministry house. No shipping is charged on items for pick-up. Shipping via UPS unless otherwise requested. Handling fee is for the shipping box and materials.
6 1b. glass mason jar – $45.00
60 lb. bucket – $300.00
All bars and balms contain Coconut oil, Shea Butter, beeswax, Vitamin E oil, and top quality essential oils.
Who are we?
We are Terry and Christy Romanko, owners of Romanko’s Roost. Bee keeping is a sideline for us. We just finished our 4th season of bee keeping; going into winter (January 2024) with 36 hives. We formed the LLC 2022 so that we can promote the sale of honey and eggs. We do not plan to grow into a commercial operation because we want to enjoy the bees.
We have a large garden that supports many of our vegetable needs. The double portion is that the honeybees enjoy many of our vegetable blooms. There is a third portion; the afterlife of the vegetables (spent plants, tops, roots, etc) are added to the compost and the chickens get to have their time at the pile. You might consider compost the fourth portion because that is how we keep our garden nutrient dense. We do not use fertilizer, herbicides, or pesticides on our property. Bees and chickens have a “-cide” free life at the Roost.
We call ourselves a pseudo homestead because the property isn’t big enough to be completely self-sustaining. We are set up for cash or barter lifestyle.
Our Apiaries
Yes, our honey crop from 2021 was dark and we do not know why. Many fellow bee keepers had dark honey that year. In 2022 we had very wonderful, fruity honey. The late mid-west freezes in 2022 managed to land around the orchard blooming season. The trees buzzed with the bees! Our 2023 crop is overflowing! It is good honey with many flavor notes. This year there is a distinct difference between the tastes coming from different apiaries.
So, what’s up with 3 acres of our pasture? During the fall of 2022 we put an end to the controlled grasses and reseeded with wildflowers that will feed the bees (and other pollinators) from April to October. It will take up to 3 years to see the full picture but our anticipation of acres of wildflowers remains high. Year 1, sleep; year 2, creep; year 3 leap.
Additionally, our lawn mowing strategy promotes the growth of dandelions, white clover, and chicory. Yes, these weeds save bees. It is true, the more you know, the less you mow.