A few things about myself…

I am a third generation beekeeper. My grandfather kept bees as part of his family farm operation in Mattoon, Illinois. My father, a career diplomat, kept bees in a few different countries when he could. I last helped my father with the bees in 1978 when we were stationed in Tehran, Iran.

My beekeeping journey started in 1992 with encouragement from a neighbor, whose father was also a beekeeper. I’ve always kept bees in our backyard, but through the years, I’ve also had some off-site locations. Some have come and gone, but I am now comfortable with the locations I have. Currently I have four locations in which I keep bees, they are: our backyard in Springfield, VA; the Rose Hill area of Fairfax County, VA; George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate; and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.