Will, our speaker, saw an observation hive when he was 6 years old and has pursued them passionately ever since.  He started beekeeping at 13 and by 16 was running a commercial operation with his father.  (Notably in 1992 they produced in excess of 28,000 lbs of honey from ~180 colonies.)  Will has taken every opportunity to learn practical and scientific avenues of beekeeping.  Will believes, practices and advocates that the key  to healthy bees, sustainable industry and profit is stewardship and genuine love of bees (treat the insect with care and respect).  Will has spent years developing his own genetics with a combination of queen rearing, select matings and by bringing in new stock.  He has specialized in mass nuc production since 2015.