In the spring of 2011, I began learning about beekeeping by working with my father as we started our family apiary. The first year, I learned how to install new bees in a deep hive box, feed honey bees, and check the hive for brood pattern, honey, and disease. After attending classes and learning more about tending bees, I decided to raise my own honey bees. I began with no hives and ended the first year with six hives. The first year I traded labor with my father, to buy bees from a beekeeper.  I learned that year that I prefer to catch local feral honey bees. I learned that purchased bees struggled to make it through our winter because the bees originate from places like Mississippi. After my second year, I tried to expand my hives annually and ended 2016 with 18 hives. While in college I have continued to advance my apiary business.