New to Beekeeping? That's Great!

I am a third-generation beekeeper and a second-generation Colorado beekeeper. Before returning to bees, I served as an Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper.

My first experience with beekeeping was as a teenager, working alongside my father. I remember getting stung a lot, lifting heavy boxes, and not fully understanding what I was doing; only that the bees demanded respect. After those early years, I stepped away from beekeeping, and the spring of 2015, I came back to it on my own.

That return was humbling. I purchased a queen and installed her with a small group of nurse bees and a bit of honey. About three days went by and nothing seemed to happen. Confused and frustrated, I called my father. He reminded me gently of lessons he had already taught me as a child that I clearly had forgotten.

My mother showed up that evening with five frames of brood and bees to reinforce what had become a stranded queen.

That hive grew and that queen went on to become one of the best I’ve ever kept. Valkyrie is what I named her. She built into three deep boxes by her second season and taught me more than any book ever could. Since then, I’ve been researching, observing, and learning nonstop.

Beekeeping is a rabbit hole that never ends. Just when you think you understand it, the bees will humble you. They are always teaching if you’re willing to pay attention.

My goal is simple: to raise strong hives and resilient queens that help create food, flowers, joy, and life. I don’t claim to know everything. But what I do know, I share freely and honestly.

5280 Apiaries exists to support beekeepers; new and experienced alike, and to treat bees with the respect they deserve.