Our Journey
My name is Richard Homer, I am a semi-retired 60 year old. I love gardening and being outdoors. Years ago I noticed a huge decline in bees in my garden and fruit trees. I used to be able to listen to a symphony of bees in my large cherry tree in bloom. The number of bees I was seeing was way off of normal.
My interest in the plight of the honey bee was heightened by a few news stories about Colony Collapse Disorder, and the large losses the commercial beekeepers were seeing across the country. I also saw a documentary “The Vanishing of the bees”. I was intrigued and a bit alarmed. Like the canary in the coal mine to warn the miners of bad air or harmful chemicals. I saw the bee as the Canary in my Garden. I started to look into possibly having bees in my yard (.25-acre lot in suburbia).
I was a little naive about how a hive would impact my personal yard with pets and grandchildren visiting and of course how my neighbors would feel. I had a Nephew in Law that had gotten bees the year before and also lived in a suburban setting. He invited me over to see his hive and experience a hive of bees for the first time. I was hooked! What fascinating creatures the humble honey bees are. The more I learned and experienced the more intrigued and fascinated I became. I got my first hive and was so enamored by these industrious hard working insects. They grew from one box until they filled 4 boxes with bees. With 22 frames of honey, I was able to harvest 5 gallons of honey my first fall and leave that much in the hive for the winter. The next spring I expanded to 4 hives and then 15 the next year, then 50. I now have over 700 hives that I manage adding more every year. My goal was to bring bees back to the city. So all my hives were hosted by families all over the city. It has become a passion of mine to care for my bees and love telling others about these amazing creatures. I teach classes now and help others learn how to successfully keep bees and provide a resource to get fair priced equipment and bees each year. I hope you enjoy your journey of discovery as much as I have.
Richard Homer
Master Beekeeper MSU
Seth Homer
My name is Seth Homer, I have a beautiful wife who supports me in this crazy bee journey of mine. I am a father of 3 kids who I adore and love. I love the outdoors, gardening, woodworking and spending time with my family. My journey into beekeeping started when my Dad who always seemed to have bees flying around in his car introduced me to the world of bees. Inspired by his passion, I decided to join him in growing our beekeeping business.
Together, we've expanded from 200 hives to over 900 hives in the last 7 years. We now provide bees and equipment to fellow beekeepers in Utah and surrounding states, and each year we strive to raise strong healthy bees to make splits, collect honey and send them to pollinate almonds.
I've been fascinated by these little fuzzy insects ever since my first visit to a commercial bee operation. I quickly realized the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem and the challenges they face. Witnessing colony losses of 40-50% per year in the United States was alarming. I wanted to understand why this was happening and how I could help. Well, beekeeping today is not like it once was back before the 1980s and 90s. We've faced numerous obstacles and setbacks of our own and will continue to have them and will continue to learn from the bees. One of my favorite quotes says, "Before you succeed you must first learn to fail" -Michael Jordan. A goal of mine is to help the beekeeping community be successful at keeping bees each year and help them learn from their failures and mine.
One of the most rewarding aspects of beekeeping is helping others. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with other beekeepers who might need to help or advice. I have had a great teacher/mentor/father by my side doing the same for me since day one. Always seeing the success of others by making it through a winter or finding a solution to a challenge and knowing I've contributed to it is incredibly fulfilling. I hope your bee journey is as exciting and rewarding as mine has been.