Some could say Andrew Bauer, a lifelong Park County resident, ranch worker, and owner of Hazel’s Honey LLC, a family-owned apiary in Paradise Valley, earned his bees.
Bauer, who specializes in small batches of all-natural wildflower honey, got started in the beekeeping business in 2017 with no prior experience. As if being a beginner at the time wasn’t hard enough, instead of purchasing more bees for his hives, Bauer captures them from mostly residential areas.
“I got into beekeeping completely on accident,” said Bauer. “A friend of mine’s son was in 4-H keeping bees. As he grew out of it, they swarmed. When bees swarm, they leave their hive to reproduce, go out on a tree and form a bivouac, a huge cluster on a tree or branch.”
After caring for his first hive of adopted bees, Bauer realized the pollinators, sometimes viewed by residents as pests, exhibit the same behavior when they leave a nest in an attic or soffit of a residential home.
“Gathering the bees when they are in this phase in people’s yards helps prevent them from moving inside people’s homes, where more invasive and costly extractions could be needed later,” said Bauer.
After being paid to safely extract the bees, Bauer uses them for his family honey operation, as opposed to a pest control specialist, which could use harmful chemicals and kill the bees.
Bauer maintains 85 hives with as many as 80,000 bees per hive with his wife, Meghan, and 8-year-old daughter, Hazel. The Bauers produce thousands of pounds of honey, sold at FoodWorks, the Livingston Community Bakery, Faye’s Cafe, Town and Country, Lulu’s Montana Market, Copper Moose Oil and Vinegar, the Livingston Farmers Market, and other area retailers.
Although Bauer, who works at the O’Hair ranch in Paradise Valley, described his buzzing and innovative side hustle as “intensive,” he explained he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It is fun and rewarding. You can make money doing it too,” he said.