Beekeeper Mentor

This is the area that trips up most newer beekeepers. From growing the hive's bee population to feeding the bees to hive inspections to swarm prevention to robbing to overwintering to equipment, there's a lot to learn! Let me help you understand what's going on inside your hive and help you prepare for what comes next. A book or a course can only take you so far. Use your phone to take videos and pictures for me to examine and give advice. We can even FaceTime or Zoom while you're working in your hive for realtime coaching help! 

While hive management involves a bunch of interactions and changes across a beekeeping season, dealing with honeybee pests like varroa mites and small hive beetles is relatively straightforward. The primary problem for beekeepers is knowing which pests are problems (or about to become problems) for your bees at any given time of the year. There's no good reliable way to predict this, which is why it's so important for less experienced beekeepers to have a mentor looking over their shoulder into their hive to point out the telltale signs of pest problems. When you describe to me what you're observing and send me videos and pictures of the inside of your hive, I will use my experience and education to identify those pests, if any, and guide you on how to fix any issues. 

I have been managing my own hundreds of beehives treatment free since 2017. I have succeeded in treatment free beekeeping by using a combination of VSH bee genetics and pest prevention management techniques. I will gladly share my knowledge and experience with you whether you intend to use conventional or treatment free beekeeping techniques. I have plenty of experience doing both. 

Helpful guidance and coaching on anything else honeybee-related--buying bees, siting beehives, transporting bees, harvesting honey and beeswax, growing the size of your apiary, farmers' markets & fairs, USDA registration, making candles and lip balm, pollination, ...

I've done most everything people do with bees at this point in my career. I've managed hives in urban, suburban and rural areas in both the North and the South. I've trucked bees in pickup beds, inside of minivans under a sheet, and hauled them on trailers. I've sold honey from my house, at farmers' markets, at fairs, in 5 gallon buckets, directly to grocery stores, and personally delivered it to customers. Over the years, I've bought and sold nucs, queens, packages, hives, farm property for bees, and an entire apiary. I've designed and built my own equipment out of rough hemlock lumber, big box store lumber, foam insulation, and even once out of cardboard. I've also purchased equipment from every major manufacturer and distributor as well as many of the smaller ones. Learn from my experience!