Meet the January 2023 Betterbee Crew: Shop Team

Betterbee shop crew poses and smiles among pallets of beehive frames

The Betterbee Shop Team as of January 2023 (L-R): Derick, Tanner, Keith, Sydney, Daniel, Nick, Ryan

Some beekeepers like to buy their products unassembled while others enjoy the convenience of receiving things ready-to-use when they arrive. In recent months, we have expanded our space for the Betterbee shop, where almost all of the assembled goods you order from us are put together.

This close-knit team has high quality standards and spends their days making sure you are getting the best-assembled supplies on the market.

One of the most in-depth assembly processes goes into making the Colorado Bee Vac, the world's leading bee hive relocation vacuum. Through a series of dozens of steps, a deep hive body and 34 other parts become a vacuum system that can be used for doing cut-outs or catching swarms. The shop team is proud to fully assemble these bee vacuums in Upstate New York. Watch this video to see the CBV in action.

Read on to learn a little bit more about each member of the Betterbee shop family.

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Meet Sydney

Betterbee has been graced with Sydney's presence for two years (in February 2023). She is happy to be a part of the shop team because she feels like she is part of a family (one that she genuinely enjoys being around). She's proud of her abilities to constantly learn and adapt to new things at her job, whether it's related to honey bees or anything else.

On the weekends and in her free time, you can find Sydney… spending time with her husband and dog.

Favorite genre of music: 80s pop/rock and Disney soundtracks.

Her favorite fact about honey bees: When bees are defensive they release a pheromone that smells like bananas!

Something about her that not everyone knows: In her spare time, Syd enjoys character designing and animation.

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Meet Keith

Keith is the Shop Manager. He has worked at Betterbee for 9 years, building up the solid team that he has today. Keith takes pride in knowing that what we aim to do here at Betterbee is not only good for our local community but also for the earth.

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Keith… hanging out with his kids, walking around town, or playing in the kitchen.

Favorite genre of music: Motown/soul, classic rock, and alt-country rock. It was hard to pick favorites but his least favorite genre is "the sounds being played on top 10 country stations for the last 25 years."

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: In his younger days, he once ate a 40 oz. jar of peanut butter in one day.

His favorite fact about honey bees: The drone bees are quite useless and pathetic, aside from their one function of going on mating flights.

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Meet Tanner

Tanner has been a part of the Betterbee shop team for nearly two years. His favorite part of the job is the batch production process that the team uses, because he gets to use his hands and build things all day. Since products are built in batches, the task at hand is never the same thing for too long.

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Tanner… at local arcades.

Favorite genre of music: Heavy metal and hardstyle.

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: Cow tongue.

His favorite fact about honey bees: That a certain pheromone they produce smells like bananas.

Something about him that not everyone knows: Tanner has a heavy interest in Japanese arcade culture and collects arcade machines.

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Meet Daniel

The newest member of the team, Daniel has been a part of Betterbee's shop family for 6 months. His favorite part of the job is learning about beekeeping because it's a field he's never experienced before and he enjoys broadening his understanding of our world. He's most proud of his ability to quickly learn new skills in the shop and adapt to all the different tasks thrown his way.

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Daniel… beating Jake Galusha (Betterbee's Warehouse Manager) in a game of pickup basketball or hunting and fishing with his friends and family.

Favorite genre of music: Country.

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: Pickled octopus.

His favorite fact about honey bees: How warm the bees can keep their hive in the winter!

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Meet Nick

For four years, Nick has crushed the game as part of the Betterbee shop team. Nick's favorite part of his job is working with such a fun crew that gets along really well. He's proud of how fast the shop team can put together projects day in and day out. In the end, the output is always a perfect product for our beekeepers.

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Nick… enjoying hanging out with friends and family.

Favorite genre of music: Hip-hop.

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: Rattlesnake… "too many bones for my liking."

His favorite fact about honey bees: A strong queen can lay up to 2,000 to 2,500 eggs in a day. That's a lot of work for one bee!

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Meet Derick

Derick is on his second stint working in the Betterbee shop, here now for nearly a year. His favorite part of the job is the whole vibe of the shop: "It's exactly where you want to get to work. If you're like me and into working with power tools and lumber, it's great. Most days, the crew's diverse music tastes blast over the loud speakers." Derick is most proud when the crew tackles a big project that takes creative thinking and brainstorming.

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Derick… hanging at home with his cat, Stash.

Favorite genre of music: He could never pin down one genre of music that's his favorite because it depends on the moment, but, "Some days I jam out to 90s pop a little too hard, sorry not sorry."

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: Brown bread from a can. "My wife is from New England, and I just can't with this breakfast staple of theirs!"

His favorite fact about honey bees: The order of things in a hive is pretty magical. The natural way life sorted that species out is dynamic, and it's amazing to examine the tasks they all carry out.

Something about him that not everyone knows: "I enjoy science and a good formula for success, but have been around long enough to know that outside-the-box thinking is where the magic often happens. I like to make folk art and I think that line of thinking goes hand-in-hand with the type of pieces I make!"

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Meet Ryan

Ryan has worked at Betterbee for 3 years, coming on as a customer service representative and then transitioning over to the shop. His favorite part of the job is the people he gets to work with "that make Betterbee the place to be!"

On the weekends and in his free time, you can find Ryan… hiking in the woods, foraging mushrooms, at the river fishing, hanging out in the garden, or spending time with my friends, family, and animals.

Favorite genre of music: Bluegrass.

Weirdest thing he's ever eaten: Zebra Pate and Monkfish Liver top the list.

His favorite fact about honey bees: No matter how much you learn, you'll never know it all.

Something about him that not everyone knows: He loves board games and puzzles!

Final thoughts

Betterbee shop crew member, Nick, wires BetterComb frames with a smile

The Betterbee shop crew considers themselves to be a family. They work together seamlessly and their laughs (and the occasional loud, eclectic music) can be heard even from outside the building.

Not surprisingly, when asked the question, "Wood or polystyrene?", the entire shop voted for wood. (It would be kind of weird if they voted against what they work with all day!)

We hope you enjoyed learning about the shop team! Below is a sampling of some of the many products that the shop assembles: