My name is Michael and I'm what is considered a hobbyist beekeeper. After being tired of hand pollinating many of the plants in my garden for a few years I decided to start beekeeping. After two years of studying up on bees (and luckily having been a zoology major in college years ago) I joined the local beekeeping association in 2013 and was on my way. After working on the board of directors and as vice president for years, I decided to start my own beekeeping club that was more focused on a science based approach and treatment/pesticide free methods. I now run both the "Crawford County Beekeepers" as well as my personal beekeeping adventure "The Bearded Bee". I am known locally as The Bearded Bee and my youngest son who I'm teaching beekeeping to is known as The Beardless Bee.
In my spare time I'm a natural/small cell size beekeeper and an organic gardener. I practice treatment free beekeeping, meaning I use no chemicals, pesticides, or mechanical traps of any kind in my beehives. I let the bees live and behave as close to nature as I can possibly let them while still being a beekeeper. I do sell excess bees and locally mated queens as they are available, but generally only a few every year.
I do sell my honey, beeswax, and garden goodies as well throughout the season. My honey tends to sell out within weeks of harvest, so just follow my Facebook page and this website to be kept up to date with when my honey is available. I give everyone a heads up a week or so before I harvest around the 4th of July and generally once again towards fall.
Although technically a hobby, many hours are put into good beekeeping practices and I take pride in the bees that I breed, the honey that I produce, and the educational materials that I can teach new beekeepers and the general public alike. I try and get out to a few schools or groups every year and teach kids about beekeeping when I can around working a full-time job.
