We have spent decades figuring out what great beekeeping looks like.

Peter Cowin

“The Bee Whisperer”

I started keeping bees as an 11-year-old in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, in the early 1970’s. I can still remember the anxiety as my bees arrived through the mail half dead, and within hours, my brother and I had managed to kill the queen as well! Fortunately, a local beekeeper took me under his wing and arrived a few days later with a newly captured swarm of bees. From then on, I was hooked.

I lived and worked in Britain through the latter 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, where I became one of the world leaders in reproduction and mass culture of marine invertebrates. In 2003, I returned to my native New England to live in Hampden, Maine. I was so fortunate to have moved to within a few miles of the man who would become my friend and mentor, Harold Swan, also known as the grandfather of Maine beekeeping. Not only did I learn much about bees and beekeeping from Harold, but he also got me into it as a business.

In the last decade, I have grown my hobby into a full-time occupation, producing thousands of pounds of honey as well as selling bees and equipment. I have also been teaching beekeeping in Adult Ed classes all over the state of Maine and at my store and bee farm in Hampden. In that time, I have taught more than 3000 students.

With the Pandemic closing most in-person classes, I started a YouTube channel, “Beekeeping with the Bee Whisperer”, as an alternative way to help prospective beekeepers.

Amy Nickerson was one of my star students and took over from me as President of Penobscot County Beekeepers Association. There, we could see the difficulty of matching up new beekeepers with mentors, especially during a pandemic. We were both also dismayed at how confusing and sometimes discouraging it was getting accurate beekeeping information online in Facebook groups, etc... 

BEEKEEPING 24/7 is our solution to a great need for training, mentorship, and an accessible and friendly beekeeping community in an online world.

Amy Nickerson

“The Queen Bee”

I live in Bangor, Maine, and have been keeping bees for about 13 years now.  I generally keep between 5 and 10 hives in the City.

I am a 30-year First Responder veteran.   I did not choose my nickname to be the “Queen Bee” but that is what my fellow First Responders call me, and it stuck!  Due to the high-stress nature of my job, I really needed to find a hobby to help decompress.  I’m not sure why I chose beekeeping, as I was terrified of bees for most of my life!  I saw a commercial by “The Bee Whisperer” and I thought I’d take a class to see what it was all about.  I took Peter’s beginners class and was hooked!  I remember being overwhelmed in my first few years of beekeeping.  I must have called Peter nearly every day for a year!  

Peter and I recognized the need for mentoring for the new beekeeper, which was why we decided to go into business together.  Our goal is to support new and intermediate beekeepers with mentoring, classes, and a sense of community with our private Facebook group.  

Peter and I each offer different levels of experience to BEEKEEPING 24/7.  Peter has been keeping bees for decades and runs well over a hundred hives, and I am more of a hobbyist beekeeper in a city setting. I formerly served as the President of Penobscot County Beekeepers Association as well as a member of the board for several years.  I am on the State swarm response team, and I remove colonies that have taken up residence in undesirable locations.

We are so glad you chose to join us at BEEKEEPING 24/7 and look forward to assisting you with whatever needs you may have on your beekeeping journey!