In the heart of Southern Appalachia, Melissa, a new urban beekeeper, has discovered a profound passion for beekeeping. Despite being new to the practice, the experience has enriched her life in countless ways. Melissa’s backyard hives have become a source of joy and fulfillment, connecting her to nature and fostering a deeper appreciation for the delicate balance of our ecosystem. Welcome to the start of her beekeeping journey!

How long have you/your family/ancestors lived in Appalachia?
I grew up on a plot of land tucked in the middle of the suburbs of Chattanooga. We lived next door to my grandmother who purchased her home when this now busy and traffic-filled area was only accessible by gravel road. I can’t say that I know how far my family history goes back in Appalachia, but I also can’t recall any generation living anywhere else.

Does anyone else in your family keep bees? If so, who?
My family still owns that 10 acres of land behind my childhood home and this is where I first encountered a beehive. When my family purchased the land, there was a neglected and unattended beehive near the tree line. I remember the excitement of watching the bees and being sad when the bees eventually absconded. While this is a rather anticlimactic first encounter, it has been interesting to me how many times I have recalled this hive over the years.

The first truly magical experience I had with honeybees was also on our land. I was around 8 or 9 years old and there were a bunch of flowering canopy-like weeds that attracted a lot of honeybees. I would go out to just sit and watch these forager bees harvest their pollen and nectar. The bees were so enamored with whatever flowers these were that I could pet their little fuzzy thoraxes and they didn’t seem to mind. I have asked and, unfortunately, none of my family really remembers these flowering plants or all the honeybees; however, it is a memory that has stayed with me all these years and was part of what made me want to become a beekeeper.

“I’m a nurse at a local hospital and I have had many conversations with patients who have kept bees. It is the sweetest thing how these patients will light up when the connection is made and how they desire to pass on their knowledge and experience.”

~ Melissa

What research did you do before starting your first hive?
As an adult, beekeeping is an idea that I have returned to many times. However, due to my ignorance and lack of resources, it seemed like an outrageous thing to do. For the last couple of years, I have been quietly gathering knowledge to decide whether this was a thing that was possible for me. I watched youtube videos and even purchased a couple books, but the first big thing I learned about beekeeping is that it is very hard to succeed alone (especially when you’re starting with zero knowledge). So last fall, I decided to take a big leap and walked into our local beekeeping store. I quickly learned that this is not the type of store that you can walk into and anonymously browse. It was clear that I didn’t belong there and that I had no idea what I was doing. However,I leaned into this opportunity to learn and conversed with the kind and helpful man working at the store. He answered all of my rather uneducated questions without rolling his eyes, and, best of all, he connected me with a local beekeeping mentor named Carmen. 

In another uncharacteristic move, I emailed Carmen, and ended up joining her year long, new beekeepers mentorship group. Being a part of this group is what gave me the confidence to actually move forward with getting my own bees. In fact, I was so excited about it that when spring arrived I went out with Carmen on a weeknight at 12am to collect the first swarm of the season as my first colony (now rightfully named the Midnight Bees). A short few weeks later, I grabbed my Pro Nuc and headed out to collect another swarm by myself. I drove home in a full bee suit with a huge swarm in the box and approximately 10-15 bees flying around inside my car. I was grinning ear to ear at the double takes of passersby on the interstate, but also because I felt so proud for accomplishing a goal that only a few months prior had seemed like an ridiculous idea.

How long have you been keeping bees and how many hives do you currently have?
I have now been learning from and caring for these two colonies for about five months and have been fascinated watching their progress. Per Carmen’s recommendation, I started with two colonies and I’ve learned a surprising amount just from comparing and contrasting the two!

What do you wear when you inspect the hives?
As a new beekeeper, I wear the whole getup. I wear boots and a full bee suit almost every time I get into the hive. This is almost always the first question I get when people ask me about beekeeping. Everyone wants to know if I am one of those beekeepers who wears no protection and just scoops bees up with my bare hands. Not even close. Bees do sting and there’s still that part of me that gets nervous when they fly too close to my face. Since I am still developing skills, I want to be able to focus on the bees and learn from them without being afraid, so I still wear the suit and choose not to shame myself for this. Maybe one day I will scale down when the fear subsides and the stings don’t feel like as big of a deal, but I have nothing to prove and will wear my suit if I want to.

Where do you keep your bees?
I live on a quarter acre lot in an urban area of my city. Originally, I thought this would be a problem. I was concerned that I needed a lot of land or that my neighbors would be annoyed or get stung. I’ve since learned that my little lot has plenty of space. I did speak with some of my neighbors before getting bees to ensure they would be okay with it, and it turns out all the neighbors I’ve spoken with have been beyond excited to have the bees around. Currently the bees are in my backyard a couple yards from my house, my car, and my dog who hangs out near them as well. I also keep feeders on my front porch so I have a view of the bees from both sides of the house. They have been perfectly well-behaved additions to my lot and I thoroughly enjoy all the life it brings! 

“In a world where we’re constantly multitasking and thinking about all sorts of other things, it has been a hobby that has provided some steady and healing moments.”

What is a unique thing about beekeeping in Appalachia that you think is different from any other part of the US?
I have learned from Carmen how much beekeeping varies region to region and, therefore, beekeepers need to be talking to other local beekeepers. There have been a few instances when I have read one thing in a book about beekeeping, but have found out those strategies for beekeeping are ineffective where I live. The writers of these books do their best to help beekeepers, but nothing compares to the help of local beekeepers who have had success within the same region.

What about beekeeping do you find most challenging in your area?
One of the biggest challenges that I encountered was that initial effort to overcome my overwhelming lack of knowledge. While I stumbled into the right place and got connected with the right people, it took some time and effort to find myself in the right place for these connections to happen. I tend to spend most of my time in the more urban areas of the city and had never known anyone who kept bees. Starting from square one and not knowing where to go for guidance was probably my biggest challenge.

Do you think social media has made you a better beekeeper? Why/How?
I can’t say that I have utilized social media very much in my journey with beekeeping. Since meeting Carmen, I have paid attention to the things she has posted, but otherwise, I am not on social media very much. Even though it hasn’t been a big resource for me, I have learned since having honey bees that a lot of my non beekeeping friends have more knowledge of bees and beekeeping than I would have thought because of this content within social media. It seems everyone is mesmerized by “saving of the bees” reels, and because of this the general population is becoming more knowledgeable.

Do you have any advice for new beekeepers?
Get a mentor! And learn alongside other new beekeepers as well if you can! I have learned a lot from Carmen, but have also learned a lot from my fellow mentees as they’ve asked questions I haven’t thought to ask or have had different experiences with their hives than I have had with mine.

What does hive inspection day look like for you?
In the day to day, beekeeping really is not very time consuming with two hives. Sometimes I’ll peek in the hives to refill feeders or check on honey frames, but I really only get down into my hives once every 1 to 2 weeks depending on time and weather. I usually do this alone, but occasionally have had a friend curious enough to join me. This process usually takes me about an hour and begins with collecting the necessary tools. I always bring a hive tool, fresh unscented swiffer sheets, a bee brush, sugar water to refill feeders if they’re needing it, and occasionally the smoker if I think the bees are going to be grumpy.

“It has been a really wonderful thing for me to be still enough to see the ways that God is working to care for humankind deeply and wonderfully whether or not we notice or appreciate how gracious it is”

Over these few months, I have grown progressively comfortable with the mechanics of the inspection and have grown in interpreting their behavior, sounds, and smells. The bees respond well to slow, intentional movements and they will let you know how you’re doing. The inspection process begins at the top checking out honey or nectar frames, and moves down into the brood boxes. I look for the queen, check out the brood pattern, look for any signs of pests, and try not to be too sad about the fact that I will inevitably kill some bees in the process. Overall, I do find the process to be a relaxing experience that I look forward to and enjoy!

Do you prefer a solitary approach to keeping bees or would you rather be a part of a larger beekeeping community?
While it is an incredibly communal activity, beekeeping is also very much an introverted hobby of mine. There’s plenty of times when I leave my cell phone inside and go out into the hives to unplug and interact with nature. On the other hand, I have made many more connections through beekeeping than I would have ever imagined. I have spoken to neighbors for the first time and I have reconnected with old friends who I didn’t know kept bees. I’m a nurse at a local hospital and I have had many conversations with patients who have kept bees. It is the sweetest thing how these patients will light up when the connection is made and how they desire to pass on their knowledge and experience.

What beekeeping groups do you find yourself a part of or accepted into?
Of course, the community I have made within my beekeeping mentorship group has been the biggest help. I know that there are also other beekeeping groups in the area, but I have felt it would be more confusing to be getting advice from multiple sources at once. For me coming into beekeeping without any prior knowledge, it has been simpler to limit opinions and learn from Carmen and those she recommends since she has been very successful for years.

Do you think women beekeepers differ from male beekeepers? Why/why not? How?
Interestingly enough, almost all of the beekeepers I’ve connected with even outside my mentor group have been women! Now that I have met more beekeepers, I do realize it is predominantly a male activity, but I actually never considered that it wasn’t a hobby for me just because I am a woman. I did, however, have one beekeeping patient at the hospital tell me that I was “too pretty to be a beekeeper,” but to my knowledge that has been my only encounter with that ideology. I have heard some debate over who makes a better beekeeper, but at this point, I don’t believe I have enough experience to have an opinion. Although, it would seem to me that if you’re teachable and observant anyone could be successful regardless of gender.

Has becoming a beekeeper benefited your mental and/or physical health? Can you explain how or in what ways?
One of the unexpected gifts of beekeeping is how much delight and enjoyment it has brought me. In a world where we’re constantly multitasking and thinking about all sorts of other things, it has been a hobby that has provided some steady and healing moments. Slowing down enough to pay attention to the details and learning how to move and manipulate the tools in a way that minimally disturbs the bees promotes mental focus that helps ease some of the chaos of daily life. It brings me back to those days as a child when I would sit in the grass and watch the activity of the bees. It’s a simplicity that is often lost in adulthood.

Additionally, now as an adult, I deeply value my Christian faith and beekeeping has cultivated a deeper sense of awe in the things that God has created. Paying enough attention to notice the impeccable detail and how the lives of the bees are deeply interwoven with other insects, plant life, food, and resources. Not to mention the beauty and creativity of flowers that these bees are responsible for pollinating. It has been a really wonderful thing for me to be still enough to see the ways that God is working to care for humankind deeply and wonderfully whether or not we notice or appreciate how gracious it is. Taking care of bees has caused me to look closer and see more of these glorious details that have always been right under my nose.

Lastly, I think one underrated benefit of keeping honeybees is that they also form a great security system! I have long considered getting some sort of guard dog, but it seems that many people are afraid to get too close to a bee hive. So I will continue strategically placing them around my yard and feel safer having all 80,000 guard bees buzzing around!

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