Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Boerst.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started keeping bees as an FFA project with my son, Tim. He was in the 8th grade and we got two hives thru a scholarship program at a local bee club.
Two years later, I heard of a woman trying to start a bee club in my area. I jumped on the “bee” wagon with her and we founded the Denton County Beekeepers Association in 2015.
I started hearing about the Master Beekeeping Program from the Texas Apiary Service at the Texas A&M Agrilife program. I decided to jump in and see how far I could go.
In 2018, I received my Master Beekeeper Certification. I have one more level to achieve, the Master Craftsman Certification. The Agril-life certification program is a 5-year process.
As I was enjoying my hobby of beekeeping and working on the Master Beekeeping Program, I realized this would make a great retirement business.
I met my fiance, Matt Clark and he decided it WAS a great retirement business for both of us. In January of 2019, we decided to go ahead and start beekeeping as a business, thinking it would take a long time to meet our retirement goals.
Six months in business, and we are surprised at how fast our company is growing, as well as the amount of beehives we now own. We are smashing our first and second-year goals already!
We sell honey, rehome bees from homes and buildings, mentor new beekeepers, and give educational presentations on bees and beekeeping.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A smooth road never gives you the opportunity to learn! We have had many struggles along the way. Honey bees are like most wild animals, they rarely do what you want.
Our biggest struggle has been keeping enough equipment on hand to house our bees. The unexpected growth we’ve had caused equipment shortages. Even though we built equipment last winter, we did not build enough bee homes. When we’re not managing our hives or removing bees, we’re buying and building new equipment constantly.
Time is often a struggle. We work seven days a week during the spring and summer months and many days we work 12 hour days. Matt and I still have full-time jobs and putting in another 30 hours each to a new business can be extremely tiring. Loving what we do helps a lot, and Matt and I have a great partnership.
And don’t forget the heat! Being in a bee suit during a Texas summer is brutal.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Bursting Bees – what should we know?
We are beekeepers first. We have several apiaries in the North Texas area. We spoil our bees and in return, they give us yummy honey. We sell local, raw, unfiltered honey.
We also rehome honey bee hives from houses and buildings. We get in there, remove the honeycomb, vacuum up the bees and take them back to our apiary. We make sure the bees are healthy and happy and then give them lots of room to be bees.
I teach new beekeepers on how to manage their bees. I mentor young beekeepers in various youth organizations and help to teach summer beekeeping classes.
I also do presentations all over North Texas to a variety of groups.
We are known for our passion for the honey bee. We love to talk about bees to anyone who will listen. Matt and I feel that bees are incredibly fascinating insects and very important to our world.
One of our biggest accomplishments this year is partnering with three other beekeepers to put beehives on the roof of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Denton.
Helping our community be a sustainable resource on the environment instead of a drain is an incredible accomplishment. We hope to be able to add a “bee cam” as well, to provide education and information to hotel guests on just how awesome honey bees can be!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Christina Beck and Bill Hartley were my first mentors in beekeeping and together we created the first Denton beekeeping association. They encouraged me to enter the Master Beekeeping Program and were always available to discuss new ideas and techniques and talk me off the ledge when I thought I’d done something wrong. Their passion for beekeeping was infectious and certainly helped my passion grow.
My kids, Tim and Torrie, have put up with sticky floors after honey harvest, being chased by bees in the yard, a super busy mom and many other tortuous things. Through it all, they have been my biggest encouragers and never once called me a crazy bee lady.
All of the beekeepers who took the time to listen to me and gave me advice, or just brainstormed with me are an invaluable resource and I couldn’t do it without them.
My “bee group”. Don Dieterich, Brock Davies, Saundra Smith are my collaborators on all the wild ideas we come up with. We are able to educate so many more people about bees and beekeeping because of the many programs we have put together and the awesome projects we accomplished.
Of course, my partner in everything, Matt Clark. He’s my ladder climber, power tool user, honey extractor, inventor, and equipment builder. Plus, he doesn’t mind getting stung (much).
Pricing:
- We sell honey for $1/an ounce. Our most popular jar costs $10
Contact Info:
- Address: 409 S. Magnolia, Aubrey, Texas
- Website: burstingbees.com
- Phone: 940-231-6831
- Email: beemaster@burstingbees.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleboerst/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texasbeekeeper/?ref=bookmarks
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