About Us
Who We Are
Hello, my name is John Armstrong. My family and I founded Armstrong & Family Apiaries in 2012, when I was 14, driven by a desire to improve pollination in my produce garden. After spending a summer caring for two hives under my mentor's guidance, I became fascinated by beekeeping. Now, at 24, I’ve continued to grow and diversify the business, focusing on quality craftsmanship and long‑term relationships.
At Armstrong & Family Apiaries, we manufacture all of our woodenware using pine, along with locally sourced poplar and locust. Our equipment stands apart from most suppliers. Each nuc, super, and hive body features a blind‑rabbit joint at the top, which significantly reduces splitting and extends the life of your investment. Because we build everything in‑house, we can also custom‑craft equipment to meet your exact specifications.
Being young doesn’t mean I’m here for a quick sale. I’m committed to this industry for the long haul and genuinely want to support your success as much as my own. Located on the south side of Indianapolis, Indiana, Armstrong & Family Apiaries is your local source for high‑quality, fairly priced bee equipment—built by beekeepers, for beekeepers.
Disclaimer
One thing that we strive to do at Armstrong & Family Apiairies is to tell it like it is. These are just a few things about our products and policys.
- All Equipment is commercial grade or better
- Prices are subject to change
- Return fees will be paid by the customer, and a refund can be given of in store credit, or a check
- Replacement of product is at discrepancy of manufacture
- Contact us for Bulk Prices
Online Sales
We prefer to do business in person because it lessens the chance of communication error, plus we like to meet our customers and here what they have to say. Therefore...
- Call ahead for estimated delivery time
- If product is backordered, call for an estimated timeline for the product to be replenished
Our Business
Since we are a home based business, it is difficult for us to store an abundance of stock. Therefore...
- Calling and confirming your order is always best
- Calling ahead during busy times such as spring and fall is recommended to see if there are any delays in shipping
- Orders are generally filled and shipped within two weeks or less, but can be longer during busy times
Our Equipment
You're probably thinking right know, "Why should I buy from this dumb kid?" and to answer your question I go by stupid, not dumb.
We only sell equipment that we would use in our own operation. When it comes to assembly the competition likes to use staples, or wimpy 6D common nails. We are different though. Our woodenware is assembled with glue, screws, and 6D ringshank nails.
As for painting, we use different colors in our apiary to prevent drifting, so why not offer the same to our customers. All of our painting consist of two coats of oil base paint on a clean surface. Oil base paint is known for being harder, and best suited for outdoor applications like bee boxes.
One thing that makes our boxes different than many is the blind rabbit at the top of the box. The use of a blind rabbit allows for a stronger joint at the top of the box and can help prevent splittage that results from prying on frames.
So whether you have one hive, a 100 hives, or more Armstrong & Family Apiaries can build you the product you need to start and/or expand your apiary.