In this month's member spotlight, we introduce Justin Martin, a dedicated beekeeper who balances his role as Operations Supervisor at Tacoma Public Utilities with an impressive apiary operation spanning three locations across Pierce County.

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A Chance Beginning

What started as a lighthearted suggestion from his father has blossomed into a 13-year beekeeping journey for Justin Martin. "My dad has a lot of flowers and plants, and one day, almost as a joke, he said, 'You should get a bee hive,'" Justin recalls. Taking that casual comment to heart, Justin established his first hive that very year.

By the following season, both Justin and his father had doubled their apiaries to two hives each, maintained at their respective homes. Though his father has since moved out of state and stepped away from beekeeping, Justin's operation has flourished to an impressive 40 hives—most of which remarkably survived this past winter.

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Finding Balance

Now in his second year as a PCBA member, Justin represents the fascinating middle ground between hobbyist and commercial beekeeper. "I'm on the cusp of being a hobbyist and a small sideliner bee business," he explains. With apiaries spread across his Puyallup home, his property in Graham, and a friend's place in Edgewood, Justin is working to find the sweet spot in his operation, aiming to reduce to about 30 hives for optimal management.

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"The equipment is expensive—hives, bottling honey, treatments—you can't maintain this number of hives without the bees producing revenue," Justin notes pragmatically. This business mindset emerged more fully after his promotion from lineman to Operations Supervisor at Tacoma Public Utilities, which finally gave him the time to expand his beekeeping pursuits beyond what was possible during years of "insane overtime" as a lineman.

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A Self-Taught Approach

Unlike many beekeepers, Justin never had a mentor and didn't initially join a beekeeping association. "I'm self-taught through internet research," he explains. "I read a lot and watch videos." He particularly recommends the work of Bob Bonnie (his favorite resource), Kamon Raynolds, Ian Steppler, Michael Palmer and Randy Oliver for good online education about beekeeping.

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Justin's independent approach stems partly from the often contradictory nature of beekeeping advice. "If you ask 10 beekeepers how to do something, you'll get 10 different answers," he observes. "It's hard to sort through as a new beekeeper." His conclusion? "Most advice isn't wrong—it's just a matter of what you prefer as a beekeeper."

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Working With the Bees

Justin's philosophy prioritizes cooperation over control: "I try not to fight the bees and instead cooperate with them. Let them do when, how, and the way they want." This approach has served him well, particularly in queen rearing, where he favors queens produced from swarm cells over commercially bred ones, having noticed frequent supersedures with the latter.

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Having apiaries across multiple locations has allowed Justin to experiment with different management techniques. He has developed a well-calibrated treatment regimen, applying "three high-efficacy treatments per year at different times" to maintain healthy colonies.

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Family Support

Though Justin handles most of the beekeeping work himself, he receives occasional help from his son. His wife serves as his "#1 honey consumer" and enthusiastically tells everyone about their beekeeping operation. Justin also has a 19-year-old son in college and a 26-year-old stepson serving in the Navy on the East Coast.

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Honey Business and Future Plans

As Justin builds his honey business, he's becoming more attentive to the unique characteristics of honey from his different locations. "There's a subtle difference in flavor between Edgewood and Graham honey," he notes, though admits he needs to better track which honey comes from where.

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In a fascinating exploration, Justin has conducted DNA analysis on his honey, revealing surprising plant sources his bees were visiting. He plans to repeat this analysis as he expands his honey business.

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Continuous Learning

Despite 13 years of experience, Justin maintains the mindset of a student. "You're never done learning, and you're only unsuccessful in beekeeping if you stop," he reflects. For Justin, beekeeping remains "a fun adventure" that continues to deepen his appreciation for these remarkable insects. "Bees are an amazing and complex insect, and I find them more fascinating now than before."

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Justin hopes to give back by sharing his knowledge with others, just as he has benefited from those who shared with him. His advice to new beekeepers reflects his methodical approach to learning: dive deep, be thorough, and never stop studying these extraordinary creatures.

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All of Justin's hives are 10-frame Langstroth wooden deep hives. Rather than actively chasing swarms, he primarily raises his own queens to maintain his apiaries. For those interested in learning more about beekeeping, Justin also recommends exploring Thomas Seeley's research, including the book "Honeybee Democracy" and related YouTube videos detailing how bee colonies make decisions when selecting new hive sites.