Lyson: 30 Years of Educating and Offering Quality Beekeeping Products

There are many brands of beekeeping equipment on the market, but not all are created equal. Product quality, consistency, and innovative growth are important qualities in a company, but so are compassion, friendliness, and generosity. The Lyson company exhibits all of these characteristics and more, which is why we here at Betterbee love working with them… and why we think Lyson products are superior to others on the market!

Lyson's 30-year history

Lyson's showroom at their headquarters in Poland shows off their rugged, stainless steel honey extractors, insulating polystyrene hives, full coverage protective gear, and much more.

It is no small accomplishment to stay in business for decades. Lyson hasn't just been around for 30 years, they have grown and innovated their way to becoming a worldwide-known producer of beekeeping equipment, such as polystyrene hives, honey extractors, devices for creaming, uncapping, honey dispensing, and much more.

Here are some quick-hitting, notable dates from Lyson's company history:

1995: The Lyson company first opens its doors to the public.
1997: Lyson introduces its first stainless steel honey extractor. Today, Lyson offers four tiers of extractors ranging in capacity from 2 to 88 frames.
1999: Lyson presents its first line of beekeeping clothing. Betterbee offers the popular beige Lyson suit and jacket, as well as the part-vent and full-vent systems, and a wide range of colorful suits and jackets.
2002: Lyson begins producing its own hoses and establishes Pasieka magazine, educating and keeping subscribers up-to-date on the latest news in the beekeeping industry.
2013: Lyson and Betterbee team up to bring Lyson's high-quality beekeeping products and equipment to the United States. Betterbee is still the U.S. distributor of Lyson equipment today.
2018: Apilandia Interactive Center opens. Apilandia has hosted thousands of kids and families through school groups, summer camps, and tourist groups, teaching everyone about "the greatest secrets of the bee world." Apilandia also features the largest bee in Europe!
Ongoing: Lyson continues to add more new and innovative products to help make beekeepers' lives easier and more efficient. Check out all the prizes and awards that Lyson has received for their innovative products (like a wheelchair-accessible extractor!) over the years.

>> Check out Lyson's full company history

Lyson focuses on education and fun

Educational rally for honey bees across Europe

10 Fiat cars traveled around Poland and Europe to spread the word about the benefits of honey bees in the Rally in Defense of Bees.

The greatest value crossover between Lyson and Betterbee is that both companies focus on educating as many people as possible about honey bees and beekeeping. Our world can only benefit from more people learning about all of the goodness that honey bees provide. And honey bees will flourish from more beekeepers learning and growing in their craft.

Lyson has built a solid foundation on education and fun. Check out some of the amazing things they've accomplished below.

Rally in Defense of Bees: "You Buy Honey - You Save the Bees"

Tomasz Lyson, owner of Lyson, loves honey bees and old cars. He helped cook up the idea to incorporate both interests in an educational tour around Europe, known as the Rally in Defense of Bees.

In 2015, 10 Fiat cars covered 4,000 km around Poland and Europe. The campaign aimed to make society aware that by buying honey locally, we indirectly save bees, because it is the beekeeper who takes care of the honey bees.

The first rally was such a hit that they did it again in 2017. This second edition focused on how anyone (you don't have to be a beekeeper) can plant pollinating flowers and trees to help bees survive and thrive.

Apilandia Interactive Center

Apilandia helps kids learn all about honey bees

The main goal of Apilandia is to educate children and others in a hands-on, fun way about the benefits of honey bees and beekeeping.

The Apilandia Interactive Beekeeping Center is located in the 100-year-old undergrounds of Lyson's company headquarters. The main goal of Apilandia is to educate children and others in a hands-on, fun way about the benefits of honey bees and beekeeping. The center consists of different rooms featuring the following:

Explains the Rally in Defense of Bees (see section above explaining that campaign) and includes one of the Fiat 126p cars that participated

Hives featuring interactive frames that visitors can “inspect”; information about honey bee biology, pollination, and the role of workers in the hive

Graphic representation of how Lyson makes honey extractors, clothes, and polystyrene hives; features a hands-on honey extraction system and a large smoker that blows smoke when you press the bellows

Shows the original drilling machine on which the first molds for beehives were made by Marian Lyson, and his grandson, Tomasz

Apilandia also features an educational apiary for participants to visit (with veils on, of course!) as well as the option for ultotherapy. These therapeutic "inhalation houses" allow the participant to breathe in the scents of the hive, which is believed to reduce fatigue and aid in overall health.

Apikultura Foundation (Fundacja Apikultura)

The Fundacja Apikultura established the "Thank a Bee" campaign to spread awareness about bees, the natural environment, and beekeeping. This campaign promotes all the different ways that kids of all ages can get involved in supporting bees.

As part of the Fundacja Apikultura campaign, Lyson opened a new educational center and apiary in August 2023. The thirteen new colonies in this apiary live in a picturesque area of Little Beskid in Poland, among birch meadows and fields. All of the honey produced and sold from the apiary is donated to local charities.

"Your bees are our passion, which is why we focus on the development and support of beekeeping. We take pride in creating products that make work in your apiary easier. With our offer, we want to reach wherever bees live, so that beekeepers can work better, more pleasantly, and, where necessary, more efficiently. We listen to customers and their needs, and look for innovative solutions.

We strive for the best possible relationships with our partners [like Betterbee] and we are glad that with many of them we have not only business relations but also friendships. We value the exchange of experiences and to promote this, we organize Open Days in our company every two years. We also often meet with our distributors to talk about business, industry news, and bees." -The Lyson company

Final thoughts

As a company, Lyson cares about the quality of their products and helping the beekeeper. The two go hand-in-hand: if their products work well for beekeepers, then the beekeeper succeeds in helping out pollinators. If the quality stands the test of time, beekeepers will return to Lyson as they grow their apiaries and need more equipment.

For 30 years, Lyson's product quality has spoken for itself. As more products are introduced, they stand behind them with comprehensive warranties that cover the structural components (legs, frame, drum, basket, and more) and limited warranties that cover parts like the controller, gearbox, bearings, and more.

There's something satisfying about buying products from a company like Lyson, which supports people and other companies and also cares about constant growth and improvement.