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@ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE JULY 2025 67 about lately is [that] once people bring these bees to their property, it does make them so much more intentional about their properties and what they're using on their property. So even if they cared about these before and after, now that they have this connection to this beehive, they are going to think a little bit more about [things like] 'Should I mow my lawn this month?'" she says. "It changes how you decision-make on your property, and those decisions, again, are helping native pollinators. So there's this amazing connection between honeybees and native pollinators, that by having these honeybee hives, you start to act differently." Bender's enthusiasm for his bees is fueled by both the ease of adding them ("ere's no effort on my part," he says of the commitment) and also by offering a way for him to contribute to something larger. "I'm not an environmentalist or anything like that, but I'm aware of basic threats to our environment. I don't know how anyone cannot be right now. So I, like most people, want to leave as light a footprint on the planet as possible," he says. e bees, it seems, are happy to oblige. bestbees.com, urbanbeelab.org like and donate any surplus. How much is taken depends on overall production, with the priority always being the health of the hive first. Bender's hives were established on his property only a few short months ago and he says he can already see a measurable change outside his windows. "It looks different," he says admiringly. "It looks like someone came in and put thousands of pounds of fertilizer on everything. It all looks very vibrant." He's become a passionate advocate for the plight of these little pollinators and encourages more people to add hives to their property. "Just like donating my oranges to the food bank, it doesn't really take my effort, but it's a way that my property can give back," he says. "We need to enjoy our properties. I mean, we've worked hard, but it's so easy to give back. And Best Bees is one way to do it that — it just makes you feel better about living here and being able to contribute." Dameron has also observed that housing bees has fostered a different kind of mindfulness in many of her clients. "Something that's really interesting that I've been having a lot of conversations COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHY OPPOSITE Díazzz now estimates Bender's healthy hives, originally installed at roughly 105,000 bees, have swelled to be nearer to 500,000 LEFT & BOTTOM LEFT "It's a really research- and mission-oriented company, with the added benefit of folks getting to have and interact with nature in a really unique way," says Best Bees CEO Delaney Dameron BELOW Best Bees harvests honey from the hives and returns it to the property owner hosts