When I tell people what I do for a living they are usually surprised and somewhat shocked. Honey bee removal is such a unique niche job that I often get asked, “How in the world did you get into this line of work?”

Even as a young boy bees were a fascination to me. At the age of 10, I lived near Bogota Columbia in the jungles of South America where my parents were missionaries. One thing my brother and I loved to do was “bomb’ bee nests. We would throw rocks at these large clay like hornet nests hanging under tree limbs to try to destroy them. Then run away, after the well aimed rocks hit their target and the angry stinging insects started swarming out.

After two years, my family moved to Indiana and I completed high school. I was unsure of what direction to go in. I did enjoy the outdoors and working with my hands. I decided to go into the construction field for about 10 years, building homes and remodeling. Little did I know, these skills would be indispensable for what I was about to do next.

One day my wife and I prayed, and asked God for direction. Almost immediately, we both got the idea to get into honey bees. So I bought 10 hives and became a beekeeper. Then, through a series of events we moved from Indiana to Georgia and started Southeast Bee Removal Company. We did that for 11 years before selling the business and moving back to Indiana to continue bee removal under the name TruNorth Bee Removal. It has been an exciting adventure and one I am truly grateful for.

I owe a big thanks to many people, who made my dream job of being a honey bee removal specialist possible. First to God, for the idea, wisdom, and help every step of the way. Secondly, to my wife, who moved away from her family, prayed for me, encouraged me, and never gave up on me! Also to my dad who first kept bees, and twin brother who still keeps bees. Both are a source of inspiration to me. Then to Doug Goodwin of Premier Builders for teaching me many valuable construction skills. Lastly to Bill Owens of Georgia Bee Removal, who freely shared a lot of his bee removal expertise with me.