It’s been more than a year in the making, but Sue Pride of the Raymond-Casco Historical Society says its “Honey Bee Project” is such a success that it is now able to offer an abundance of honey for sale to the public.
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| Beekeeper Ingo Hartig of Raymond has helped establish a 'Honey Bee Project' for the Raymond-Casco Historical Society and it yielded more than 90 pounds of honey this year. Honey is now for sale at the Raymond-Cascp Historical Museum at 1 Shadow Road in Casco. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
The museum also hosted a lively Bee Celebration later in 2025, with the Queen Bee in attendance, bringing crafts, games, and all things honey to families and visitors on a weekend event. Since then, school groups and homeschoolers have made the bee talks a popular event, sparking curiosity and countless questions about beekeeping.
Pride said that although the original museum hives were lost this spring because of weather or as the result of other natural causes, strong educational interest inspired the historical society to continue the program with newly purchased bees.
“This year’s improved spring weather helped the new colony thrive,” Pride said.
In May, third graders from Raymond Elementary School visited the museum and engaged enthusiastically with a presentation about bees with Hartig, reaffirming the historical society’s decision to keep the program alive.
According to Pride, this season yielded a major success with a harvest of more than 90 pounds of honey.
“After uncapping the waxed cells, pouring out the golden liquid, and extracting it in a centrifuge, the honey has been bottled under the label “Ingo & Hugo’s Honey” honoring both the beekeeper and his helper,” Pride said.
There is always something of interest happening at the Raymond-Casco Historical Society Museum and with the addition of bee hives to the site, Pride says visitors have more to explore from regular weekend events to new collections, and the museum always tries to offer something to fit everyone’s interests.
She said that the museum campus has expanded significantly over the past several years with the addition of a blacksmith’s shop and an old schoolhouse on the museum grounds. Visitors can now take in exhibits showcasing actual items from the Raymond area, as well as the museum’s popular transportation barn.
“A lot is happening here at Raymond-Casco Historical Society,” she said. “We have new exhibits, a model farm, and new bee hives. The idea is to let people know how important honeybees are. Ingo especially likes working with children.”
For the early settlers of Raymond, honey gathered from bee hives was used instead of sugar, which was a highly taxed item by the British. The production of honey and beeswax became an important source of income for colonists, and used to make products such as candles, lipstick, shoe polish, and mead.
The honey collected from the 2026 harvest is now for sale at the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum, 1 Shadow Lane off Route 302 in Casco. The price is $15 per bottle.
The museum is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays this fall.
Honey will also be available from 3 to 6 p.m. at Casco Fest on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27.
“The honey is selling quickly, and community members are encouraged to visit the museum soon to purchase a bottle and support this educational and environmental initiative,” Pride said.
To learn more about the Raymond-Casco Historical Society or the “Honey Bee Project,” visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or follow the historical society on Facebook for updates, events, and historical programing. <
According to Pride, this season yielded a major success with a harvest of more than 90 pounds of honey.
“After uncapping the waxed cells, pouring out the golden liquid, and extracting it in a centrifuge, the honey has been bottled under the label “Ingo & Hugo’s Honey” honoring both the beekeeper and his helper,” Pride said.
There is always something of interest happening at the Raymond-Casco Historical Society Museum and with the addition of bee hives to the site, Pride says visitors have more to explore from regular weekend events to new collections, and the museum always tries to offer something to fit everyone’s interests.
“A lot is happening here at Raymond-Casco Historical Society,” she said. “We have new exhibits, a model farm, and new bee hives. The idea is to let people know how important honeybees are. Ingo especially likes working with children.”
For the early settlers of Raymond, honey gathered from bee hives was used instead of sugar, which was a highly taxed item by the British. The production of honey and beeswax became an important source of income for colonists, and used to make products such as candles, lipstick, shoe polish, and mead.
The honey collected from the 2026 harvest is now for sale at the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum, 1 Shadow Lane off Route 302 in Casco. The price is $15 per bottle.
The museum is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays this fall.
Honey will also be available from 3 to 6 p.m. at Casco Fest on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27.
“The honey is selling quickly, and community members are encouraged to visit the museum soon to purchase a bottle and support this educational and environmental initiative,” Pride said.
To learn more about the Raymond-Casco Historical Society or the “Honey Bee Project,” visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or follow the historical society on Facebook for updates, events, and historical programing. <
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