Nathalie B.

Backyard beekeeping can be deeply engaging and rewarding when the physical, financial, and mental load feels manageable. In this talk, Nathalie B. explores Horizontal Top-Bar hives as a way of lightening that load through mindful design, ergonomic management, and close alignment with bee biology. By emphasizing low weight, low stress, adaptability, and ease of care, this approach can free beekeepers to feel more present and connected to their bees, helping them rediscover the joy and engagement that first drew them to beekeeping in the first place, while supporting a more affordable, sustainable, and enjoyable backyard beekeeping experience. Nathalie will also introduce key concepts of Natural, Treatment-Free beekeeping and share simple, practical pathways for those curious about how to get there.

Nathalie B. is a Master Craftsman beekeeper with over 15 years of experience and a thriving operation of 400 colonies that she maintains entirely Treatment-Free. She is a respected international speaker and professional educator, regularly invited to lead trainings and present on speaking tours across the United States, Australia, and Africa.  Nathalie is a dedicated advocate for Natural, Treatment-Free Beekeeping, and of Horizontal Top-Bar Hives as a simpler, lighter, more affordable and accessible approach that is especially well suited to backyard and homestead beekeepers. An inventor at heart, she designed and standardized the easy-to-build Bee Mindful Horizontal Top-Bar and FLEX Hives. The FLEX Hive is an easy Langstroth to Top-Bar adapter that enables streamlined and efficient Top-Bar NUC production by all, including Langstroth beekeepers. Her innovations earned her an invitation to present at Apimondia 2025 in Europe. An Ohio State MBA graduate and serial entrepreneur, Nathalie B. is the founder of Bee Mindful LLC, a full-service beekeeping business, which offers popular Bee Leases for AG, Hives and Bees. At her Driftwood Bee School and Farm, she teaches widely attended Beekeeping Workshops, Apprenticeships, and advanced courses, helping beekeepers of all levels gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to succeed in Sustainable Beekeeping.