This week I’d like to take a detour from my personal beekeeping diary, and visit with a few beekeepers whose story has inspired me on my journey.
On a warm summer morning in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, young David helps his Dad out at the beehives. There are no frames with wax foundations, just sticks in a box, filled with honeycomb. The father-son duo doesn’t stress about invasive pests. Varroa Destructor mites are not a threat in the 1960’s. They only worry about the larger common threats, such as mice and moths. And about collecting golden honeycomb for mama’s kitchen.
Jump ahead 50 years, and David has taken up beekeeping again just 1 mile away from where he used to help his Dad. As with many people raised around bees, David got busy with life, work, and family and had left beekeeping decades ago. But something drew him back.
Now that I have started my beekeeping hobby, I’m interested in others’ stories. You might also wonder, “What draws people to beekeeping?” I interviewed a few beekeepers who have helped me learn about bees, and here’s what they say:
DAVID – I catch up with David, of Brook’s Honey, in his apiary of 40 hives. After a moment’s pause, when asked why he went back to beekeeping, he responds, “It’s in my blood. I was raised around bees, and it’s the most natural thing to go back to it at some point in life.”
“That makes sense,” I respond. “But what was the motivating factor that launched you back into bees 14 years ago?”
David pauses for a second as he looks out at his garden. “I started looking at the garden, my apple orchard, the corn in the fields, and I realized that I wasn’t seeing any honey bees, when decades before, they were everywhere. You used to see bees all over the corn stalks and in the trees. Now they were just gone. And very few pollinators in the garden. I heard that honey bees were on the decline, and I love honey, so I thought I would start again for those reasons.”
BRITTANY – Jumping over to southern Indiana, I ask Brittany (one of PerfectBee’s team members) who is going into her second year of beekeeping, what inspired her to take up beekeeping?
She shares, “For me, beekeeping is about connection—both with nature and with something bigger than myself. I’ve always felt deeply tied to animals and the natural world, and bees became the natural next step in my backyard homesteading adventure after getting chickens. They simply fascinate me—their complex communication, their teamwork, and the way every part of the colony works together toward a shared purpose.
I didn’t start keeping bees just for honey; I wanted to be part of something meaningful, something that gives back to the earth instead of just taking from it. Beekeeping has taught me patience, respect, and appreciation for life’s quiet rhythms. The bees have a way of grounding me—reminding me that hard work, cooperation, and balance can create something extraordinary.”
RICHARD – A visit with Richard, a fourth-year beekeeper in Quebec, Canada, reveals:
“Beekeeping grew from a quiet conviction: that what we take from the earth should be met with care in return. I believe in balance—in listening to the land and responding with respect.”
The idea took root during an ordinary exchange with a neighbor. He spoke with quiet enthusiasm about his first year of beekeeping and the joy of beginning his second. Something in his words lingered.
“I began to look more closely at my own small piece of land. Its heavy soil limits what I can grow, but it offers space, blossoms, and possibility. I realized I could be self-sufficient in honey. Bees, after all, do not ask much of the ground—only that flowers are allowed to bloom. Beekeeping felt like a way to close the distance between what we consume every day and the place it comes from.
At the same time, I was nurturing another dream: opening a microbrewery to craft beer for the local community. Honey, with its depth and complexity, has long been part of brewing traditions. Its place in beer felt natural, almost inevitable, adding another layer of meaning to the decision.”
RICK – Returning to North Carolina, just outside of the Cherokee Indian Reservation, we meet Rick, who is a 3rd generation apiarist and a keeper of the old ways. Since the time he was a kid, he began learning from his grampa and always helped with the bees. But his dad, Harvey, taught him the most about beekeeping, and he’s carried on the tradition, having had bees his whole life.
Rick says, “Bees are pretty much self-reliant. We get the benefits from them.” He gently tends to them using natural means and treatments. For example, in caring for the bees, Rick plants gardens with his honey bees in mind. He cultivates plants that attract bees and does it in locations the bees can easily access.
Rick recalls that the family had a system for keeping the bees calm when it was time to pull honey. They would set up tables near the hives under a huge net covering. One person would bring the honey to the table. One would take the honey off. And one would squeeze the honey from the comb. Some honeycomb was also harvested. It was family time that ensured nurtured bees.
A prevalent trait I observe among hobbyist beekeepers is a desire to care for the Earth and a passion for hands-on learning. I observe a warm sense of community and connection in the apiarist community that is very welcoming. If you’re not yet a beekeeper, have we convinced you to take up this hobby? ?Follow this blog for future interviews.
