“If you don’t know the beekeeper, then you don’t know what’s in the jar.”
Not all beekeepers are created equal. As the founder of Bee Native Apiaries, I have see the dark side of the honey industry which is why I have created principles and practices that make a product worth sharing. Bee Native is transparent so that you know what we stand for and even more important: what exactly is in your jar of honey.
Helping beekeepers since 2018
Meet Jonathan, with over two decades of beekeeping experience he has made it his career to guide both beginners and seasoned beekeepers toward success. With a strong belief in Sustainable beekeeping and a more natural way of management, he offers personalized, tailored mentorships navigate the huge learning curve that beekeeping has to offer while taking the guesswork out of beekeeping for you.
Jonathan’s experience goes beyond how-to and into the realm of Intuitive Beekeeping, encouraging his apprentices to learn how to find the answers within their own operation. Join him and reach your own goals and aspirations in the world’s most unique hobby & trade!
My story, the short version:
Once upon several years ago in 2021, I got a job with a commercial beekeeper that needed help which was perfect because I needed gas money.
During the next 15 years, I learned a lot. A LOT! I saw how much High Fructose Corn Syrup beekeepers feed bees. I saw pesticides devastate beehives. Many of the commercial and hobby beekeepers even treat their hives with chemicals and during a time that they’re not supposed to (resulting in chemicals in the honey).
I have even seen beekeepers feed their bees during the time of year when they’re making honey, which creates what the industry calls- an Adulterated product. Some beekeepers do this out of ignorance and others to make more money. These beekeepers sell at local markets, festivals and grocery stores.
Having seen these things, I almost gave up beekeeping because I didn’t know a better way. Despite that, I decided to try anyways. So I set off on my own, beginning with 13 original beehives in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia.
And guess what? I did find a better way. I do not use harsh chemicals, I do not feed my bees junk and I especially DO NOT adulterate my honey.
So that’s what I do and I continue to find ways of making it even better for my bees to create a better product for my customers.
Here’s what you can expect from Bee Native:
A fully Raw, live food. Never heated.
Wild Cultivated means never foraged from high pesticide areas.
100% Pure honey, never adulterated with sugar syrup or HFCS, ever.
Natural methods of treating honey bee hives, resulting in zero chemicals in your honey, unlike many other beekeeping operations.
Honey that is Sustainably harvested.
Beehives that are managed using:
Biodynamic methods; using environmental awareness in management.
As well as Intuition and Minimal Disturbance methods.
Our logo: Why two feathers?
The Bee Native logo was founded on two guiding elements:
The first being that in the beginning, I didn’t have a shed or workshop to build my beekeeping equipment in but I did have a Native style Tipi and used it as my workshop.
The second, I learned fairly quickly that keeping a lot of honey bee colonies in one area causes too much competition among the colonies and even more so among the native pollinators in the area.
So by managing fewer beehives per apiary location and having multiple locations, I was able to cut down the competition and help support not only my own honey bees but the local, native pollinators as well.