Hidden Gems: Meet Justin Maness of Buddha Bee Apiary

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Maness.

Hi Justin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I took a beekeeping course when I was at NC State University with Dr. Tarpy which was the genesis of my interest in bees. When I graduated I had the opportunity to join a research team diving into the links between pesticide use and honeybee mortality. It was during this experience when I got to see firsthand some of the challenges that bees were facing.

From there I knew I wanted to do something more for our fuzzy pollinator friends. I began reaching out and taking on opportunities to work in the community to share teach how important honeybees were to our environment. After working for a variety of for-profit, non-profit and research organizations I finally started Buddha Bee Apiary. My passion lies in this intersection of working with bees and people and that’s exactly what we do with Buddha Bee. Our mission is to create more pollinator advocates by offering a turnkey beekeeping program right in your backyard.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely… not. Let’s be honest, on the business front you never know it all, there have been a lot of mistakes and growing pains we have experienced over the years but time and time again we overcome and become a better organization for it. On the beekeeping front, beekeepers across the US lose on average 40% of their colonies every year. We do our best to pour the utmost care into each and every colony but the statistics are against us. The challenges in beekeeping today are HUGE but we are working on creating a beekeeping program that is unconventional, using out-of-the-box practices that are less conventional and our hopes are that we can create a healthier more resilient bee.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Buddha Bee Apiary?
We offer a turnkey beekeeping service, it’s simple people all over the world want to learn more and experience the beauty and art that is beekeeping but don’t know where to start. Thats where we come in…we install and maintain beehives across the triangle right in your backyard. We visit roughly once a month and maintain the hive and invite the “host” to come and join in so they can see, learn, and experience the process. We feel like this experience is really what gets people invested and educated. Ultimately, we see people hosting or going through our mentorship program and turning their lawn into pollinator gardens or bringing their children and grandchildren to the inspection. All in all, we want to reach more people and instill in their hearts an appreciation and awe for our pollinators and the environment at large. This one-on-one experience helps us do that.

What sets up apart is that we are a small company that treats each one of our hosts as a friend and each and every colony we manage like its one of our own. We are pushing the limits of the beekeeping industry by incorporating new practices such as feeding our bees mushroom tincture to improve health and incorporating special queens to prevent virus and disease! Our team is one of a kind and we all have a deep-seated passion for the furry friends and all that we do as an organization.

I think the takeaway is that we are looking to make a big impact in our local community, not just on the environment but in the hearts of our people. When you instill an appreciation and help people overcome their fears (in this case for honeybees) you begin to see people make small changes in their habit practices. We as a society have some big challenges we face in the next 100 years and a combined effort of small changes can put us on a track to solve some of these big issues.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I live in a converted school bus full time with my wife and daughter and we travel the country when time allows. We started converting the bus three years ago now and have been loving #buslife and the ability to get to see the country.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.buddhabeeapiary.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddhabeeapiary/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhabeeapiary/

Image Credits:
Mick Shulte