John Hartley began working with honey bees about 30 years ago while in the navy stationed in Hawaii. Taking classes through the University’s, apiary program, he found a real passion for beekeeping. Today his wife, Donna helps out with the maintenance on their 150 hives outside Colorado Springs.

John is the 2007 President of the Pikes Peak Beekeepers and teaches classes to new beekeepers every spring while acting as a mentor to new beekeepers in the region. He is the secretary/treasurer of the Colorado State Beekeepers.

Numerous awards and overall championships from the El Paso County Fair prove how well people seem to love his honey. He is also a three-time overall champion at the Colorado State Fair, and has won the "Traveling Trophy" from the Colorado State Beekeepers Association in four different years for the best honey in the state

IN THE NEWS: The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO
John was interviewed and featured in a Sept. ’07 article about relocating honeybees as well as CCD, the mysterious new disease affecting the bees.