Our Native Pollinators

Rob Overton is a second-generation beekeeper. He has been keeping
bees for over 45 years and resides in the Town of Olive. He learned
beekeeping from his father, Bob, who was a sideliner beekeeper with 100+
hives in the 70s & 80s. Bob was also a founding member and president of
the Ulster County Beekeepers Association.
In 2014 Rob started the Hudson Valley Hives group that meets monthly.
Until the pandemic, the group met at the Olive Free Library. Now the group
meets online or at members’ apiaries. During the winter, Rob hosts a free
Intro to Beekeeping workshop. The all-day intensive covers everything
needed to get started beekeeping in the Spring. Rob is also a founding
partner of the Hudson Valley Bee Improvement program that is affiliated
with Bee Improvement & Bee Breeders Association (BIBBA), a UK
organization established in 1963 to restore and promote their native
honeybees. HVBI’s focus is on sustainable honeybee stock for the
Hudson Valley area.
The love of beekeeping has continued with Rob’s son Blake who created
an indoor observation hive at the Olive Free Library as his eagle scout
project. This is the first observation hive installed in the MHLS! Rob has
continued to maintain the hive, and children and adults alike love to see the
bees working in the hive.