A Bee’s Place was created out of a single desire to find local honey and with the help of some extraordinary folks along the path.  One afternoon, I was driving by a roadside stand with cute 12 oz bears of honey for sale. As I sped past, I realized HONEY, this could be local.  So, I made a giant U-Turn and went to explore. To my delight, I met Charlie the beekeeper and his honey was harvested just miles from my home. As I asked how I could learn more about making honey, Charlie invited me to the local beekeepers meeting. Yes, there are groups of people who meet to talk about bees and honey, who knew?   So that Thursday evening I ventured into my first glimpse of beekeeping! Instantly, I knew I wanted to know more. What I didn’t expect was that I would go ALL IN.

I worked my first hives from the rooftop of Charlie’s home and was chased down into the garage each time as these spicy girls had a little temperament to them. I just figured we were intruding on their home and they were protecting it.  (Now I realize not all honey bees are created equal.) Within a short time, I was elected as Treasurer, then Vice President of the local bee club. I was jumping right in and a few years later I took a job as a bee inspector. This may not seem odd to some, but I previously called on top banking executives, selling financial services. It’s a world apart from my former job!

I couldn’t be happier. My husband now helps in our many apiaries, bottles honey, makes and fixes our hive equipment, sells honey and helps educate others about the wonderful world of bees with me.  I owe so much to another mentor and friend, Mike who taught me how to save bees doing relocations. Helping people relocate bees that have swarmed or taken up residency in unwanted places provides a satisfaction that is hard to describe. I also thank so many others for their generosity in answering my million questions, guiding me and sharing along the way. God created Honey Bees in such an amazing fashion and A Bee’s Place is happy to be able to Help Bees Thrive!