My Journey
Below are some snapshots of my journey in beekeeping, which began as a hobby in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and is now a sideline business in Northwest Iowa.
Beginning in Vermont
I started purchasing raw honey from some local beekeepers when I lived in Vermont. I was already gardening and raising laying hens so I decided to give beekeeping a try. I got a mentor and purchased my first nucleus colony in 2015. As they say, the rest is history.
Growing My Apiary
Vermont is a wonderful place to gain beekeeping knowledge and skills. I learned a lot from my mentor, a local club and state association meetings. If you look after your bees well, they multiply (swarm). I had to decide whether to stick to a couple hives or grow in numbers. I made the commitment to expand and finished my 4th season with 24 colonies across three locations.
Selling Honey and Bees
I have sold my honey at farmers markets, through two stores, and to a local restaurant. The summer of 2018 I raised my first batch of queens and put together overwintered nucleus colonies. The next couple years I sold my extra queens and nucleus colonies. I only had a few customers, but they were all very pleased with the bees I provided them.
Move to Northwest Iowa
In 2020 I moved to northwest Iowa. That meant moving the bees and finding a new home for them. Now my colonies live year round on land managed by Lyon County Conservation. They seem to stay healthy due to descent foraging and minimal exposure to chemicals. I donate honey to the county and they sell it to support their conservation efforts.
Serving My Community
Visit the new Lake Pehoja Education Center and you can see an observation hive I populated. I am active in the Siouxland Beekeepers Association and a member of the Iowa Honey Producers. I am also working toward becoming a master beekeeper through the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. I hope I can help fellow beekeepers like others have helped me.
