What started as a simple hobby
soon became a passion.
Kenneth Nelson started beekeeping with Langstroth hives in 2010 on his ¼ acre homestead in the city of Atlanta. He had a new hobby that resulted in great success at keeping bees the natural way, without the use of antibiotics, pesticides/miticides, or sugar water to feed the bees. His honey was a real hit in the neighborhood, and even our daughter Kylie started selling honey at her elementary school to teachers and parents, as well as other fellow honey lovers in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Kenneth was working full-time for AMC’s The Walking Dead as a set dresser, so beekeeping remained simply a hobby.
In 2017, Kenneth moved his family to Fayetteville, GA, purchasing a 6-acre homestead. He brought all 15 Atlanta hives with him, excited to have more room for bees, chickens, and his fish farm. In May of 2020, while devouring books to fuel his passion, knowledge, and skill in beekeeping, he learned about Layens hives, also called horizontal hives. So, in June of 2020 he drove to the Ozark mountains in Missouri to take a weekend course on Natural Beekeeping with Layens Hives, taught by Dr. Leo Sharashkin. A little snippet on Dr. Sharashkin: master’s degree in Natural Resources, PhD in Forestry, editor of Keeping Bees with a Smile: a vision and practice of natural apiculture, by Fedor Lazutin, author of multiple scholarly articles on bees and beekeeping. He is also quite possibly the US’s biggest resource and influence propelling the “Natural Beekeeping” and “Layens Hives” movement in the US. Kenneth was so impressed with this course and natural beekeeping that he decided to make horizontal hives, from Dr. Leo’s free plans on his website, to try out at home. He loved the low maintenance of horizontal hives, and his bees hung around longer, produced more honey, and propagated like happy little colonies should. Kenneth was sold on horizontal hives and natural beekeeping and decided he wanted to teach others how to keep bees the natural way, with horizontal hives.
Kenneth started Bee Source in 2023. He builds and sells 7-frame Layens Starter Hives/Swarm Boxes, and insulated 20-frame Layens/Horizontal hives, as well as painted stands keep them off the ground. His hives are painted, and we even offer the option of a custom paint job done by our amazing 16-year-old artist- daughter, Kylie. In addition, Kenneth offers educational services, for as much or as little handholding as you may need or want, as well as pollination services, honey extraction services, and swarm removal. All products are 100% American made by Kenneth himself, and he stands by his work. We hope you will read Why Layens Hives? to learn more about why natural beekeeping with Layens hives is superior in every way for beekeeping, and why it’s simply better for the health, longevity, and propagation of bees.
The initial investment in Layens hives is significant, but the maintenance is low, and Kenneth’s hives are built to last. Bee Source is committed to building and sustaining our local bee population and keeping bees as naturally and healthily as possible. We want to be your source for natural beekeeping with Layens hives.