Bellevue Honey Shop Restocks Hives After October Floods

Beauty and the Bees restores operations after losing 35 beehives to historic flooding in Eastern Nebraska.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Emergency Response

Bold flat-color editorial illustration showing a single, stylized wooden beehive box, representing local recovery efforts. — Beauty and the Bees in Bellevue has acquired 30 new beehives to rebuild its stock after October flooding destroyed 35 hives. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Beauty and the Bees Honey Shop in Bellevue is rebuilding its inventory after historic flooding in October 2026 destroyed 35 beehives. The award-winning local business has successfully acquired 30 new beehives from a resident to prepare for the winter.

Why it matters

The shop is working to recover as Governor Pillen seeks federal aid for eight counties hit by the flooding. While the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved a disaster declaration for Douglas County, additional FEMA assistance remains pending.

The honey shop lost 35 beehives during October flooding and has since restocked 30 new units. The business has earned the Best of Bellevue award three times.

The players

Governor Pillen

He serves as the Governor of Nebraska and is responsible for requesting federal disaster assistance for the state.

Kevin Craft

He is a local resident who provided 30 new beehives to the affected honey shop.

Beauty and the Bees Honey Shop

This is a local Bellevue business that has won the Best of Bellevue award three times.

The details

The owner of the shop is currently clearing destroyed equipment from the property to make space for the new hives. These hives were sourced from local resident Kevin Craft to ensure the bees are ready for the winter season.

Historic flooding impacted Eastern Nebraska throughout October 2026.
Governor Pillen submitted a formal request to FEMA on October 27, 2026.

Seasonal Patterns

The request for federal aid follows the procedural requirements of the Stafford Act's public assistance provisions. This effort marks a typical recovery phase for a disaster that caused significant damage across eight counties in October.

Residents in Douglas County can utilize the U.S. Small Business Administration disaster declaration for potential recovery resources. Those in the other seven counties should monitor the governor's office for news regarding the pending FEMA assistance approval.

The takeaway

Local business recovery relies heavily on both community support and the speed of federal disaster declarations. Preparing for winter after such damage requires immediate infrastructure replacement and navigating complex state-to-federal aid requests.