Montezuma entrepreneur offering homegrown honey

       Michael DeJong of Montezuma shows bees from one of his hives west of Montezuma. DeJong got into beekeeping after taking an elective course at Iowa State University. He is currently offering large and small bottles of MD’s raw honey.

By J.O. Parker
       Michael DeJong, 23, of Montezuma was in his third year as an industrial engineering student at Iowa State University and was looking to take a fun elective class.
    That led DeJong to a course on beekeeping entitled “Bee Biology, Management, and Beekeeping.”
      “I decided to take the class, and the experience was very eye-opening and educational,” noted DeJong. “In the classroom, we learned about bee biology, diseases, pests, etc., but every other week, we got hands-on experience managing a hive, completing inspections and taking care of the bees.”
     DeJong said before taking the class, he had no idea how complex the bee colony was, so “I came to appreciate the hard work that goes into managing a hive and wanted to try it myself,” he said.
     That experience led DeJong to founding MD’s Bees as a hobby in the spring of 2024 after graduating from ISU.
      DeJong purchased bees and set up four colonies in the country west of Montezuma on his parents’ pond. The hives are surrounded by acres of wildflowers, timber, and CRP land, which provide the bees with a variety of resources to forage on.
      “My first year, I harvested just 65 pounds of honey, and while bottling it, I came up with my company name, MD’s Bees.”
      DeJong said an interesting fact about the company logo he created is that it features a hidden secret in the middle with yellow honeycomb in the background.
     “The yellow honeycomb cutout on it is actually the shape of the pond where the hives are located,” said DeJong.
     “My first year of beekeeping, I started with four hives,” he said. “During my second year of beekeeping, I grew my apiary to six hives and have sustained that number since.”
      DeJong said six hives is the perfect number, since it is just him personally managing each hive. There are no plans to expand the business at this time.
       DeJong extracts the honey in the family-owned machine shed right next to where he keeps the hives. He said his honey has zero additives and it is not filtered or processed by industrial equipment. 
       “It is raw honey straight from the hives,” he said. “We don't filter out the pollen either, so eating the local honey builds your allergy tolerance.”
       Helping guide DeJong in the business are two beekeeping mentors, Margi Constantino and Patti Collins, who have 10 years of experience and produce Sweet Surrender Honey.
     “They have helped me tremendously along the way, especially my first year as a new beekeeper,” said DeJong. “They live just two miles from my hives, and we partner together and help each other out, including allowing me to borrow their 12-frame extractor during honey harvesting season.”
          Also pitching in is DeJong’s wife, Katherine, who helps with the bees as well.
         “She helps me film educational TikTok videos, prepare equipment, and extract honey,” said DeJong. “We also have a big crew that helps every year during the extraction process. It takes a village, so I have to thank my entire family and friends for supporting me every year during harvest. I couldn't do it without them.”
          When asked what he enjoys about the beekeeping process, DeJong said the challenges and problem solving that come with keeping bees.
          “Many people think you can just set out a hive in the spring and expect honey in the fall, but it doesn't work like that,” DeJong said. “I am working in the hives or preparing equipment around four hours per week. There are numerous challenges that require critical thinking to keep your bees alive, healthy, and thriving.”
           MD’s Bees honey is sold direct to the consumer and is not available in stores or at farmers markets. If interested in trying MD’s Bees honey, contact DeJong via his website, www.mds-bees.com and leave a message for pricing or to arrange payment and pick-up.
           “I sell two bottle sizes, including a large and a small bottle,” he said.
           For more information on MD’s Bees, check out the company on TikTok @michael_dejong to watch his educational videos and behind-the-scenes looks at how it all happens.
          “And of course, I want to thank all of my existing customers for supporting me and buying raw, local honey,” DeJong said. “I also welcome new customers as well.”
        DeJong did note that honey from this years’ extraction are getting low, so if interested, please visit his website listed above.  
​          Outside of beekeeping, DeJong enjoys spending time with family, traveling, swimming and working with technology.

         Pictured is MD’s Bees Apiary which consists of six hives. Take a closer look and you can actually see some of the bees hanging out on the front of one of the hives!ok. Thanks, J.O.

         MD’s Bees offers two sizes of honey bottles for sale.