Muhammad Amanullah | August 16, 2026
Ontario, Canada: An unusual wellness experience involving nearly half a million honeybees is attracting attention in southwestern Ontario, where visitors lie on specially designed wooden beds placed above active beehives in an effort to relax and reduce stress.
Known as “bee bed therapy,” the experience allows people to lie above beehives while a protective mesh separates them from the bees. Visitors can hear the continuous buzzing of the colony and experience the scent and subtle vibrations coming from the hives.
The experience is offered at a 28-hectare farm near Comber, Ontario, operated by Diana Graham under Bees and Bloom Wellness.
Wooden Beds Above Active Beehives
Inside a small wooden cabin on the farm are two wooden beds. Four beehives are positioned beneath each bed, meaning as many as half a million bees can be present underneath the beds at one time.
Protective mesh is installed between the wooden beds and the hives, preventing the bees from reaching visitors.
The idea is to allow people to spend time relaxing while experiencing the natural sounds, scents and subtle vibrations generated by the colonies.
Graham says she regularly checks the hives, removes honey-filled frames and makes sure the bees have enough space inside their colonies.
Visitors Say the Experience Is Relaxing
People who have tried the experience say the sound and smell of the bees helped them feel calm.
Christine Brady, a resident of Petrolia, Ontario, visited the farm with her mother. She said she was mainly interested in experiencing the sound, scent and vibrations produced by the bees.
According to Brady, after spending some time on the bed, she felt as though she had entered a peaceful, almost meditative state. She said her body remained on the bed while her mind seemed to move away from everyday responsibilities.
Annette Borasa, from Barrie, Ontario, also visited the farm and described the experience as extremely relaxing.
She said the continuous buzzing of the bees was so soothing that she stopped thinking about work, stress, clients and deadlines during the session.
Borasa said she would like to experience it again and suggested that if she lived closer to the farm, she might visit once a week.
Supporters Say the Buzzing Is Important
Supporters of bee bed therapy say the experience involves more than simply listening to bees.
They point to the scent from the hive, the air movement, subtle vibrations and the smell of honey and beeswax as elements that may contribute to relaxation.
Graham also believes substances released by bees and the sound of the colony could have positive effects on the human body and mind. She says the experience may help with anxiety, depression, sleep problems and stress.
However, scientific evidence supporting these medical claims remains limited, and bee bed therapy should not currently be considered a proven medical treatment.
From Ukraine and Europe to Canada
The concept of bee bed therapy is not entirely new. Similar traditional practices have existed in parts of Europe, particularly Ukraine.
In Ireland, Paul O’Neill and Ukrainian beekeeper Anton Tovarnytskyi established what they described as the country’s first commercial bee-bed houses on Valentia Island.
O’Neill has said the practice is based on lying or sitting above an active beehive and experiencing the bees’ sound, vibrations and air movement.
According to him, interest in the concept has been growing in different parts of Europe, with people from countries including the United States, Germany and Canada seeking information about establishing bee beds.
Scientific Evidence Remains Limited
Although people who have experienced bee bed therapy often describe it as relaxing, experts caution against presenting it as an established medical treatment.
Canada’s federal health authorities were asked about bee bed therapy but declined to comment specifically on the practice.
Ontario’s Ministry of Health was also asked whether bee bed therapy is recognized as a treatment in the province, whether certification is required to provide it and whether the cost is covered under provincial health insurance.
The ministry indicated that Ontario’s health insurance plan covers services specified under provincial legislation and regulations. Bee bed therapy is not a service covered by the provincial health insurance plan.
Early Research in Turkey
Research into the possible relationship between bee bed therapy and anxiety has also been conducted in Turkey by researcher Yankı Tandırıcıoğlu.
She said that when she began researching the subject, very little scientific literature was available on bee bed therapy.
During her master’s studies, she and fellow researchers developed an experiment to examine whether sleeping near beehives or listening to their buzzing could affect people’s anxiety levels.
The study involved 60 participants, divided into two groups. One group experienced a bee bed, while the other listened only to the buzzing of honeybees.
Participants completed anxiety-related questionnaires before and after the experience. Researchers also recorded their brain activity using portable EEG equipment.
Study Suggests Anxiety May Decrease
According to Tandırıcıoğlu, the questionnaire results showed notable reductions in anxiety levels among participants exposed to the sound of honeybees.
However, researchers did not observe significant changes in the participants’ EEG recordings.
The researcher described the work as an early study intended to provide a foundation for more extensive research. Therefore, its findings cannot be considered definitive medical evidence.
Bee Buzzing Compared With “Pink Noise”
Tandırıcıoğlu also noted that the sound produced by an entire bee colony is different from the buzzing of a single bee.
The continuous sound of a hive, together with subtle vibrations and scents, creates the overall sensory experience.
She said the sound of a bee colony appears more similar to “pink noise” than white noise, with continuous sounds such as rainfall or a waterfall providing a useful comparison.
A Wellness Experience, Not a Proven Treatment
Bee bed therapy remains a relatively new and unconventional wellness concept in Canada.
While some visitors report feeling calmer after spending time above the hives, researchers say larger and more rigorous studies are needed to determine whether the experience provides measurable health benefits.
For now, the safest way to view bee bed therapy is as an experimental wellness activity rather than an established medical treatment.
The combination of natural surroundings, the continuous buzzing of thousands of bees, subtle vibrations and the scent of honey and beeswax may provide some people with a temporary sense of relaxation. That unusual experience is helping bee bed therapy attract attention in Canada and other countries.
