we love bees
Dave Woodward became part of beekeeping community when he was only 14 years old. „One Saturday morning my mom was jokingly complaining about all the honey I was eating.“, he said. In order to make the situation right, his dad said, “Son if you go to the library and do the research on beekeeping, I’ll buy you a hive.” Since then, Dave became interested in honey bees and got passion right away.
„When I started reading about bees I was hooked.“, Dave said.
This passion lets him be guided by the wonder of this incredible insect, the magic of the beehive’s cooperative life and the essential work carried out by the bees in nature.
A couple of years later Dave decided to fill all the blanks by working with a retired Major who had over three hundred hives. That was the whole new experience for him. He had got about dozen stings a day so the first week was hell until his body got used to the venom. Today, he living his passion by building bee equipment company Bee Line Supplies LLC. At Bee Line Supplies, you can find everything you need for beekeeping. From protective clothing to tools, from honey collection to processing, Bee Line Supplies has equipment for hobbyists and professionals. Beside company, Dave manages 10 to 50 beehives.
„I love to think bees, talk bees, and work bees.“, Dave said.
The beekeeper plays an important role in feeding the planet. About 40% of the food we eat is dependent on insect pollination and the bee is nature’s foremost pollinator. The importance of the role played by the bee in our nutrition largely exceeds honey production. Bees are one of the most important elements of our ecosystem. In order to raise awareness of the importance of bees, Dave is helping others through teaching because he want to do his best to help people get into beekeeping and stay in it. In effort to reward the clubs for mentoring new beekeepers, Dave is giving a 10% discount code for members of beekeeping association across the country.
„It is so important to be mentored especially today with what faces the bees.“, he said.
And one of the biggest problem what faces the bees is Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. „You didn’t think you had a problem until you have a 40%-50% winter kill. One of the sadist things I saw as a kid was burning 50% of hives due to American foulbrood and seeing them break down. I fall into the Integrated pest management crowd.“, Dave admit.
So, if you have always been fascinated by natural things and you thinking about starting with beekeeping, you will love it!
