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75-year-old Geneseo man turned his later-in-life passion for bees into a honey business

Local business owner uses bees from his backyard bee farm to pursue his passion for bee keeping.

GENESEO, Ill. — Michael Pries didn't always have a passion for bee keeping, but once he turned 67, he decided to pursue his curiosity. 

"I started 8 years ago, and we've seen many swarms come through. It's like a path [of bees]," he said. "And there's been a couple of trees that the bees have lived in. They seemed like they wanted to come here."

He started attending local bee-keeper meetings to learn more about the art of the hive. 

"I would learn about a new bee club, then I would go and visit. At the end they would ask, 'Okay, do you have any questions or suggestions?' I'd say yes, yes I do. I got a lot of questions."

After buying his first hive and a slight push from his wife Ethel, Pries decided to turn his hobby into a business.

Now, 12 hives reside in his backyard. At age 75, Pries spends most of his mornings tending to the hives and feeding them sugar water.

On weekends, he attends local farmers markets to sell his honey for potential buyers.

Pries learned he was allergic to bees after a nervous hive stung him while lawn mowing. But, that didn't stop his love for his fuzzy friends.

"[My doctor] said you could quit beekeeping, but there's still bees you know. And I said, yes, they're in my yard! They come and go. So I could be mowing the yard again and get stung, and you have to carry an EpiPen with you all the time,"  

"....But that's part of life."

For more information on how to support the local business, visit Pries Honey's Facebook page here 

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