Three friends, Monique, Rebecca and Jerry were living together in Miami working to make their lives sustainable. They were growing fruit trees, gardening, raising chickens for eggs, composting, and creating a permaculture paradise! Of all the amazingness they could gather from their backyard, there was one thing missing…Sticky, Drippy, Golden Sweetness!! She came home one day with a package…a package of bees! All three friends excitedly began to gather information and gain hands on experience as they entered the world of beekeeping together. They learned that bees are incredible communicators, builders, architects, care givers, pollinators, and protecters; and just as they were living in community, building their lives together, so were the bees. They felt a true connection to the bee world, and appreciated the sweetness it brought into their lives! They learned that, while bees have been threatened in recent years by colony collapse disease, habitat destruction, and extermination, in South Florida, where there's no winter die-off, there is a thriving wild bee population. As they got deeper into the bee world, their friend, Brendhan, of Bee Barf Apiaries, introduced them to the idea of removing hives from peoples' properties as an alternative to extermination. In 2009, when Monique's birthday rolled around, the three friends decided to take the plunge, by answering a "free bees" ad on craigslist! They removed a well established hive from a garage; it was the perfect birthday adventure! With many pointers from Brendhan, the removal was a success!! And thus began CombCutters: Live Bee Removal Service. In recent years, Monique & Rebecca have combined their love for bees with their passion for environmental education, and offer engaging presentations at schools, customized for each audience.
