Here’s our story.

Like everyone, 2020 made us think. It’s was a year: unsettling, isolating and worrisome.

While selling a jar of honey could be somewhat motivating at a different time in history, how much more far reaching would it be to use this honey to contribute to the greater good? Hello, Bee The Good!

Here’s the back story.

Matt doesn’t even remember Lisa going to the beekeeping workshop in 2016. But she attended the classes for several nights in the middle of some dark January days. She came home inspired to keep bees...someday. The two were busy with four kids and two businesses in those days. In the blink of an eye, the businesses were sold and the children fledged from the nest, freeing up time to keep bees instead of businesses and children. 

Lisa’s chance to become a beekeeper came in the spring of 2018. She purchased the hive, tools and ordered a package of bees set to arrive sometime in late April. But as luck would have it, Lisa was out of town the weekend they arrived and Matt, alone and mystified, was tasked with installing the bees into the hive. Unwittingly he became the Assistant Beekeeper. 

The first year was full of learning. Lisa read lots of books, attended bee club meetings and was in constant contact with our local Master Beekeeper, Steve. It was a crazy summer - the bees and Steve taught her a lot! During swarm season the single hive absconded three times (greatly alarming our neighbor each time). The hive was checked each week but no honey could be harvested. In the fall, the hive was loaded with extra food and bundled up for the cold season.

The hive survived the winter and with the enthusiasm of Facebook friends far and wide, the Rickenbee Honey Company was up and running. A new top-bar hive was added, making a two-hive apiary inside the electric fence.  The second season went much better, managing the hives to prevent swarms and producing dozens of frames of honey. Seven gallons were harvested and jarred over Labor Day weekend. They were excited to have about a hundred Christmas gifts all ready to send. In October the hives were fed and bundled up in preparation for the winter. 

A success, right? But more lessons to come. On a cold October night, a bear broke through the electric fence and demolished both hives - he or she didn’t even eat that much honey! The whole setup was ruined. Back to square one with a whole winter ahead to lick wounds and plan for the third season.

Season 3 started with the Assistant Beekeeper building a better electric fence. Thankfully many of the built-out frames (some with honey) were salvaged and installed with the spring package of bees. That year, both hives avoided swarming and bears. Fourteen gallons (about 200 jars) were harvested over Labor Day weekend 2020. The Rickenbee Honey Company became BeeTheGood.

Season 4 was a bust. They shared a few jars with friends and family. Enough said.

Season 5 had strong hives and they were able to split one hive into two resulting in an abundant honey harvest — and hopefully an abundance of stories to publish at BeeTheGoodNow.com

Now let’s look back on those 2020 stories and continue to spread kindness -
now face to face.