On weekends and holidays, do you often worry about where to take the kids? Tired of crowded city attractions and not wanting to go to packed places, why not plan an educational and fun natural ecology trip!
This time we visited "Ifengyuan" in Zhubei for a half-day little beekeeper experience. We thought it would just be a simple look at bees and tasting honey, but the entire tour turned out to be far more engaging than expected. Not only can you wear protective gear to observe the hives up close, but you can also hand-harvest honey, learn about bee habits, and finally sample various honey products. Both adults and children were fully engaged.
After the visit, we truly believe Ifengyuan is an excellent Hsinchu parent-child attraction and a great half-day ecological experience itinerary.
Ifengyuan is located on Zhongzheng West Road in Zhubei, not far from the city center. It's convenient by car, about 18 minutes from the Zhubei interchange, and easily accessible from either National Highway 1 or 3.
Parking is no hassle at all—spaces are available right at the entrance and in the surrounding white-lined areas. No need to circle around looking for a spot, saving plenty of time when out with kids.
📍Store Information｜Ifengyuan
Address: No. 1171, Zhongzheng West Road, Zhubei City, Hsinchu County
Phone: 03-5563939
Business Hours: 09:00–19:00
Line: @nci3542r
Official Website: https://www.ifengyuan.com.tw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ify1969
When it comes to outstanding local honey in Hsinchu, many longtime residents first think of "Ifengyuan"!
Ifengyuan has been deeply rooted here for over half a century. Starting in 1969 when founder Mr. Chang Shao-tsu established "Shaohong Bee Farm," it is now in its third generation. For more than fifty years, the family has insisted on "purity"—every drop of honey is natural and unadulterated.
Thanks to three generations of beekeeping expertise and dedication to quality, from 1991 to 2025 they have repeatedly won top awards in national and Hsinchu County honey competitions, bringing home over 20 special and first prizes. Calling them Hsinchu's "beekeeping experts" and "award-winning champions" is no exaggeration.
Even better, they have turned the usually mysterious beekeeping work into an engaging guided experience—the only beekeeper ecology tour currently available in Hsinchu! Adults and children can don protective gear, experience the joy of harvesting honey firsthand, and observe the busy little world of bees up close. Every drop of sweet honey carries the craftsmanship accumulated over half a century, making it a reassuring purchase and safe to consume.
After check-in, the guide begins with a pre-tour briefing, then helps everyone don protective veils. Once geared up, the kids look like professional little beekeepers—adorable!
Bee ecology tour—turns out the hive holds so many secrets! We only knew bees collect honey; after the explanation, we discovered the bee colony world is far more complex and fascinating than imagined.
When the hive is opened, everyone wonders about the cookie-like block on top—what is it? It’s the "pollen patty" the beekeeper prepares as a nutritious meal for the bees!
In seasons with fewer flowers or bad weather, when nectar and pollen are scarce, beekeepers mix natural pollen with soybean powder and sugar water, shaping it into "pollen patties" placed in the hive for the bees.
Before harvesting, the guide brings out the secret weapon—the smoker.
Many think the smoke chases the bees away, but it actually uses a clever principle! The smoker burns natural materials like wood chips or paper, producing mild white smoke that doesn’t harm the bees.
Using bees’ natural dislike of smoke, it gently calms and moves them, protecting both us and these busy little workers!
During the tour, when the guide removes a frame, several small, cute honeycomb pieces appear on the edges! These are called "burr comb (beeswax)," essentially unauthorized structures the diligent bees built.
Beekeepers scrape them off with a hive tool during inspections for easier colony management and harvesting.
Freshly scraped beeswax can be chewed directly. I expected a sweet honey taste, but it’s completely flavorless, with a chewy texture like gum—quite novel and fun.
The tour also covers the different roles of worker bees, drones, and the queen, as well as how bees cooperate and how honey is made—much more interesting than textbook descriptions, and the kids listened attentively.
Observing the honeycomb up close for the first time is fascinating! Only then do you realize the neatly arranged hexagonal cells hold great knowledge.
Through the guide’s detailed explanation, we learn that cells differ in structure and size depending on their "residents":
Worker cells: The most numerous, fine and compact—used to raise diligent workers and store honey and pollen.
Drone cells: Slightly larger than worker cells, more protruding, to accommodate the bulkier drones.
Queen cells (the queen’s home): The most eye-catching! The queen doesn’t live in ordinary hexagons but in these peanut- or bell-shaped structures hanging from the edges, filled with highly nutritious royal jelly!
Seeing these intricate structures makes one admire the sophisticated social organization of the bee world—both kids and adults learned a valuable lesson!
While examining the cells, the guide gently lifted a cover with a tool, revealing plump white "bee pupae"!
At first a bit scary, but after a while their white, tender appearance seemed rather cute! Bee pupae are "super-nutritious" products that absorb royal jelly and natural essences, rich in protein and nutrients.
Can you spot the queen bee? The most exciting and eye-challenging part of the tour is definitely "finding the queen bee"!
Facing a dense, constantly moving mass of worker bees, our eyes were overwhelmed. The guide revealed a trick: the queen is noticeably longer and more imposing than workers, and beekeepers mark her with a bright red dot on her head for quick identification during inspections!
Besides observing the hive, the guide also demonstrated a clever tool—the pollen trap!
Placed at the hive entrance, it scrapes pollen loads from returning bees’ legs. In no time, several round, fresh pollen pellets accumulated below.
Up close, the pollen grains vary in color—some golden, some orange, even dark brownish—because bees collect from different flowers.
Seeing these freshly collected, colorful natural pollen pellets is truly amazing! Best of all, you can taste the fresh pollen right on the spot!
Next comes the honey harvesting experience everyone looks forward to!
With the guide’s assistance, we got to try spinning and harvesting honey ourselves. Watching golden, translucent fresh honey flow fragrantly from the frames was full of delightful surprises.
The jar of honey casually bought at the supermarket actually requires so much effort and time behind it.
After tasting on-site, every participant—kids and adults—can take home a small bottle of freshly harvested pure natural honey.
Holding the glass jar filled with golden, glossy pure honey brings a great sense of accomplishment!
After the tour, we returned indoors for the favorite tasting session. There’s toasted pollen bread to pair with sweet honey or slightly tangy honey vinegar!
Also available: chilled honey sparkling drinks, honey-vinegar pickled cucumbers, and honey-preserved lemons—the cucumbers are crisp, and the lemons are sweet-tart and appetizing.
You can also sample different honey varieties—multifloral, lychee, and longan—each with distinct aromas and flavors. Some have a delicate floral scent, others a richer honey finish.
We always thought honey was just sweet, but comparing them shows how different nectar sources truly affect the taste.
Of course, you won’t leave empty-handed. Ifengyuan sells many of its own honey and related products—classic honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, and more.
Besides the usual lychee and longan honeys, there are unique items perfect for gifts or personal use. The packaging is simple and elegant, and many visitors take some home after the experience.
The overall Ifengyuan tour lasts about 90 minutes—from the briefing, gear fitting, bee ecology tour, honey harvesting experience, to product introduction and tasting—well-organized without feeling rushed.
The fee is NT$180 per person, very affordable for a family experience. It’s by reservation only, with limited participants ensuring high quality and no crowding.
What makes the Ifengyuan experience special is not just observing bees up close, but truly understanding a beekeeper’s daily work. Watching the children go from being a little afraid of bees to actively approaching the hives and letting drones crawl on their hands was full of surprises—a rare natural ecology lesson.
If you’re unsure where to go on a holiday and want a place that’s both educational and fun, Ifengyuan is definitely worth arranging.
No need to head into the mountains or travel far—in Zhubei you can experience honey harvesting, learn about bee ecology, and bring home natural honey. Whether for families, friends, or company outings, it creates a truly memorable experience.