"Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams."
-Henry David Thoreau
Hello, my name is Shelli.
Keeping bees and learning about our local pollinators has been a long-time passion of mine.
Here is a little more about me....
I received my first bees in the beginning of Covid,
May 2020.
I was taking a beginning beekeeping class in person that was paused due to the circumstances, so I had neve been inside of a beehive before I got my own.
I was definitely in over my head and lost my first hive before Thanksgiving of 2020!
I am a determined women that does not take
failure as an option.
So each year I learn more and become a better beekeeper.
Expanding my knowledge and apiary.
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I like to use traditional Langstroth style hives, 10 frame. I run double deep brood chambers and use mediums for honey supers.
I prefer to torch the wood to preserve it and dip it in a wax/resin mix to give the hive body a more natural look instead of the standard bee box white.
I try to not use a smoker when working with my bees. GASP!
I know!
There is a time and place to use a smoker and I don't think that is at every hive inspections.
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Be gentle to your bees and the will reciprocate.
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You will hear me talking to the hive while I work with them, giving them a gentle breath of air to get them to move usually does the trick.
Like blowing on hot soup.
My style of beekeeping is more Bee-Centric.
Not focusing so much on honey production, but more on the health and sustainability of the bees and their habitats.
In 2023 I had an amazing opportunity to travel to France and study with Ariella Daly of Beekeeping in Skirts at SolHenge Aquitaine
https://www.sarita-sol.com/solhenge-retreat-space-in-aquitaine-france
It had a profound effect on how I tended to the bees.
If you are interested in learning more about her teachings, follow the link https://www.honeybeewild.com/natural-beekeeping-1
I also prefer to go bare handed or use mechanic gloves when I am doing hive inspections.
Those gloves have texture on the tips to provide a solid grip for my small hands.
2024 marks my 3rd year in the Colorado State Beekeepers Association,
Mater Beekeeping Program.
ttps://coloradobeekeepers.org/education/general-information-and-applications/
I am in year 2 of the Journeyman Level.
I have taken microscope workshops taught by
Zac Lamas
https://orise.orau.gov/usda-ars/profiles/zachary-lamas.html
and University of Colorado's very own Dr. Sammy Ramsey
https://www.ramseyresearchfoundation.org/
I have also had the pleasure or listing to
Dr. Juliana Rangel of Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab talk about the food and nutrition our bees are receiving through crop mono culture.​​
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I am also studying Mellitology at
Oregon State University Extension.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/master-melittologist
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I believe that if I have a better knowledge of our native and non-native bees (European Apis-mellifera) that I can help others understand why they are both important to save and protect.
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Honey Sommelier
Can you taste the difference between one honey and another from down the road?
You will often times find notes of clover or linden in my honey.
Though my bees forage on a mix of trees, flowers and crops, you can still taste distinct flavors from one bee yard to the next.
Spring of 2022 I took a honey tasting class from
I learned how complex tasting honey can be and how to identify those notes of flavor much like
Wine Sommeliers do.
To take the same class go here
https://www.americanhoneytastingsociety.com/honey-tasting-courses
Honey Judge
I have been train by master beekeepers to judge all products from the hive.
I am trained in to use the Pfund value to define color
categorization:
White Water, Extra White, White, Extra Light Amber, Light Amber, Amber and Dark Amber.
Honey’s colour depends on its humidity, its botanical origin and composition, the process used to obtain it and the temperature.
I am also trained to use a Polariscope to see any crystallization or UFOS in the honey.
I am looking forward to attending a honey Judge training course in the near future to become certified.
Photography
I opened Shelli Quattlebaum Photography in 2011
www.shelliquattlebaumphotography.com
I spent many years traveling around Colorado and abroad to Mexico and Ireland to photograph weddings.
I still have the passion for photography, not so much the wedding part.
Now I take my fancy camera to the apiary with me to capture unique perspective of the bees.
I have been published in Bee Culture Magazine and
The American Bee Journal
This image is the current the cover of Bee Culture Magazines annual calendar.
https://www.beeculture.com/the-2024-calendar-is-here/
If you are interested in using one of my images for a speaking engagement or publication, please reach out.
I would love to be published.
