Beginning Beekeeping

Tanya Phillips, owner of Bee Friendly Austin, is a sideliner beekeeper in Central Texas managing up to 150 colonies. Utilizing her BA in Education, she teaches classes at her apiary in SW Austin and sells raw honey and hive products in several boutique shops in Austin and surrounding Hill Country locations. Her interest in bees started out of simple curiosity and grew to sharing her passion, knowledge, and skills with others through education, community outreach, fundraising for research development, and generating increased public awareness for her beloved bees. Her husband Chuck shares that passion and together they founded a nonprofit that hosts an annual 'Tour de Hives' event to help fund bee research and education. Their apiary has been featured in several film documentaries, TV episodes, editorials, and websites discussing the importance of bees to the global food supply and she is frequently asked to speak as an expert in beekeeping on radio programs and at public events. As the founder of the Travis County Beekeepers Association she served as board President from 2013-2016 and is a graduate of the first Master-Level Beekeeping Course with the University of Montana. Future plans include travel into third world countries to teach beekeeping skills to the local residents and to continue in her quest to help save the world, one bee at a time!