In the spring of 2002, Mike Elliott began beekeeping as a hobby. His fascination with honeybees was a natural extension of a lifelong interest in all the great outdoors. Investing in four working hives, which he purchased from a beekeeper in North Georgia, and armed with a copy of The Hive and the Honey Bee by Dadante & Sons, he began the great experiment.
When one hive became overcrowded and swarmed, he captured the swarm and started a new hive. Having so much fun, he added a couple more hives.
The following spring Mike extracted and bottled the first crop in his wife, Marsha's, kitchen and began supplying his family and friends with all the honey they could eat. He showed them that the benefits of Raw honey are many and the taste, produced by our local bees, exquisite.
Oh, there were setbacks, the mites and small hive beetles (both imported pests) that today plague honeybees, and which have made them all but extinct in the wild today, killed several hives before Mike learned how to safely control these pests without harsh chemicals. He quickly learned where the best locations for the hives were so that the bees could find the best of the seasonal pollen and nectar that the area has to offer, especially the superb Sourwood. |
Showing bees to the Grandkids (Sam & Cat) |
Soon more hives were added and stocked with colonies arriving, this time, by U.S. mail. The new tiny friends moved right in, got acquainted with their new queen, set up housekeeping and began building the comb that would serve as breeding chambers as well as house the honey produced.
 Before long Mike had more honey than he knew what to do with so naturally he begin selling it. What began as a fascinating hobby had become the beginning of a small business. In 2006 he began selling the honey, along with various by-products like beeswax candles, at the local Alpharetta Farmers' Market.
In 2011, he was featured in the the Alpharetta News and Review and Northside Women, two local publications, highlighting his beekeeping activities.
 
Currently Mike is the immediate past President of his local beekeepers organization, the Cherokee Beekeepers Club, and now serves on the board where he helps to mentor and encourage beginner beekeepers. He is also a member of The Georgia Beekeeper's Association. |
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