When US veteran Kyle Maio (USMC) enrolled in a beekeeping class at a Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, he quickly developed a passion for bees, which he then spread to his brothers Mike and Alex. With a shared obsession for bees and honey, the brothers started their own hive in the backyard of the home they grew up in.

The Maio brothers (from left to right: Mike, Kyle, Alex) in their beekeeping gear.

As the brothers built the hive, they realized a common desire to find a way to benefit both bees and veterans.

What's the connection between bees and veterans?

For many veterans, coming back from combat or war can be extremely challenging. Being in hyper-vigilant survival mode or experiencing the loss of a brother/sister in combat is traumatizing and often leads to long-term PTSD. It is unimaginable how hard it must be for a veteran to find ways to heal and overcome their trauma.

Co-founder and US veteran, Kyle Maio, inspecting a frame of bees.

In 2016, US veteran Bill Reynolds accidentally discovered that bees were his healer. He started beekeeping because there weren't enough pollinators in his home state. He was the first veteran to realize that beekeeping helped provide relief to PTSD. According to Reynolds, beekeeping gave him a peace of mind and improved his focus. Whenever he was with the bees, he felt that "the rest of the world would melt away." Since then, several veterans have started beekeeping and shared that it gives them the same experience and feeling that it gave Reynolds. It is now recognized as an emotionally healing practice for those who suffer from trauma.

The Maio brothers were inspired by this practice and built an organization to help bring veterans the happiness and well-being they deserve and to spread the population of honey bees through local communities — Brothers in Bees. It's a cause that hits very close to home for them.

"Brother" Scott Courtney (US Navy) helps with a hive inspection.

With the hives they have built, and through the partnerships they’ve formed with other US Veterans (which they call “brothers”), Brothers in Bees has started selling their naturally produced raw honey. Proceeds from all purchases go towards building awareness and expanding their hives, as well as funding hives for US vets.

They're also documenting their beekeeping journey on their Facebook and Instagram, in case you're curious about the honey-making process. It's honestly pretty interesting stuff. I just found out today that honey is basically bee vomit. It's too bad our vomit doesn't really contribute to anything nice, right? :(

I've bought 2 jars of honey already, and it is un-bee-lievable how delicious it is. Jokes aside, I think Brothers in Bees supports a beautiful cause and I'm happy that my purchase is going towards someone else's happiness — someone who has helped protect me by serving our country.

It also helps with our endangered bees problem, which is lowkey being taken for granted. I guess you never really know what you have until it's gone... but I'd like if honey, flowers, trees, fruits and nature existed for a while.

SO basically, there really is no reason not to support Brothers in Bees. :)

To write this story, I contacted Brothers in Bees via hello@brothersinbees.com. For additional information or questions, you can contact them too!