From a Pinterest board to reality, Natasha Beardsley turned a passion into a bee-siness. Stay at home mom and beekeeper, Beardsley along with her husband Caleb Beardsley started off with one hive that later turned into a full-fledged business which is called Bristol Bee Honey Co.

“I always had an interest in making my own honey,” said Beardsley.

Her husband came across an ad for a flow hive, which is a minimally . . .

invasive beekeeping method, on Facebook and from there they taught themselves what to do, and how to take care of the bees. In the second year of beekeeping, they decided to go the traditional route since Beardsley also wanted the wax which she now uses to make beeswax wraps.

The self-taught beekeepers started with one hive in 2018 and since doubled the amount year after year. Neither one had any background in beekeeping, rather picked up everything they knew by doing it, getting advice from other beekeepers and by watching YouTube videos, which helped them build a foundation.

“But until you pick up a box of bees and you lift a frame out like nothing means anything until you hold it yourself and do it yourself, that’s how you learn,” said Beardsley.

For the couple they felt when they went into it and got their hands dirty, they learned the most, through this journey Beardsley mentioned that they lost some bees but “you learn through experience and then you don’t do that again next year,” she said.

Their operation currently sits at 13 hives. Some of the things they sell aside from the raw honey is beeswax wraps, scrubs, honey sugar hand cream, hand scrubs and lip balm.

As the weather is getting colder, honey extraction gets put on the shelf, but the bees keep on buzzing. In the winter the bees cluster inside their hive and maintain the buzzing. Bees do not fall asleep, and they typically do not come out unless it is ten degrees celsius.

When asked what surprised her most about beekeeping, she said their drive and ability to reorient themselves in new spaces and hit the ground running and manage to find food and water. She described bees as having a herd mentality and strong survival instincts. “They’re evidence of creation, I think. I really do think they’re just beautiful,” she said.

Sometimes figuring out what is wrong with a hive takes some brainstorming, and that’s why she loves running this business with her husband, “he’s a really good creative input,” she said.

It wasn’t until their second year when they were able to harvest the honey that Beardsley even thought of making this a business. She started off with infusing flavours with the honey and having friends and family taste it and after positive feedback, it encouraged her to go for it.

Some days her time is spent doing website design, creating labels and everything to run her online business and other days she’s suited up from head to toe and going from hive to hive to hive.

This winter Beardsley said she wants to learn how to breed queen bees, “my goal is to hunker down and find everybody’s technique and kind of make it my own.”

Beardsley said the future of Bristol Bee Honey Co. means being able to produce more and being in stores and essentially getting to a point when she can quadruple the number of hives she has right now.

Even after being chased around their yard by angry bees one too many times, Beardsley said she enjoys every minute she spends with the bees and sees it as both a pastime and a job. “I picture myself being a 50-year-old beekeeper. “I’d like that,” she said.

She currently offers shipping within a 20 km radius and free pick up and ships all the body care products.

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