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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 26 April 2007 |
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 Benjamin Gilmore’s business is bees — honeybees that is.
“It started because I dated a girl when I was 17 whose dad was a beekeeper,” he said.
Gilmore remained friends with her over the years and received a call four years ago when her father passed away. Gilmore and his brother, John, 30, helped harvest the honey that year.
“I loved it and figured it was something I wanted to do,” Gilmore said.
The brothers started Bee Busters Inc. where they specialized in honeybee removal from troublesome areas. The next year, Gilmore wanted to grow the business even more.
His dad joined him and Colorado Pollination Company (COPOCO), a small commercial operation, was brought to life.
COPOCO’s honey is sold at their store at 6609 S. Shields, as well as in Albertsons and farmers markets.
Other products include a variety of flavors of whipped honey, honeycomb and lip balm made with honey.
Part of the job is tending to the bees constantly during warmer months.
They are frequently moved during the night to pollinate farmer’s fields.
“People don’t realize that honeybees aren’t aggressive,” Gilmore said. “They pretty much mind their own business and are actually very nice.”
Still, stings are inevitable.
“When working with bees I sometimes get stung 15 times in one day, sometimes more,” he said. “You just get used to it.”
The stings are the least of the challenges with colony collapse disorder (CCD) recently making national headlines. This bizarre disappearance of hundreds of thousands of honeybees has left beekeepers like Gilmore puzzled. Since last fall, he as lost about two-thirds of his hives.
According to the Boston Herald, the finger has been pointed at several potential culprits: global warming, insecticides and even radiation from cell phone towers.
“That’s kind of scary,” he said. “But that’s the thing with beekeeping. There are constant challenges and problems to solve. This is just one more thing.”
———
VITAL STATS
Name: Benjamin Gilmore, 25, Fort Collins
Company: Colorado Pollination Co. (COPOCO)
Title: Field Manager, co-founder, V.P.
How long have you worked there? Since 2005
———
IN HIS WORDS
What is it about this job that makes it challenging?
The stinging insects and keeping the bees alive.
Makes you get out of bed in the morning?
I still have a lot trouble with that, but what actually does it is knowing if I actually get up, I can live my dreams rather than dream them. Still, it’s hard to get up.
Things that impress you?
How much people actually really like honey.
Things that don’t.
Lying, I guess.
How do young/new employees get ahead?
I think it’s character. If you have good character — accountability and reliability — you shouldn’t have to promise something. You say it and it’s done. If you don’t, that accountability means you own up to it and make up for it. That’s very important.
Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
No. I never thought I would be a beekeeper.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
I think I would be a limousine driver. I loved doing that. I like driving.
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work?
Lately I bought a trailer for my bobcat and the lift gate bent when I was trying to load up the bobcat. I completely ruined it.
Smartest?
Hopefully this interview.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
Depends on your definition of unusual. I was a limo driver, played guitar on the street for money and the one that made the most was being a bum.
Any interesting anecdotes?
I went out with my dad one night to treat a couple of bee hives. You’re not really suppose to do anything with bees at night because all the bees are at home. My dad lifted up the lid and the bees all came out and stung the heck out of him. He was cussing and swearing and took off running into the night. I had to jump into my truck and go after him. OK, don’t do that again.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t right now?
I can do anything. I wish I could keep all my bees alive.
What do you do during your breaks?
Relax.
What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
All of it. I love going out and giving out happy honey sticks of happiness.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
My brother, John, because he used to keep spiders and ant farms when we were younger. We also used to catch honey bees with net when we were kids.
What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
When somebody comes in and they say I made their day because I have local honey or when my bees are doing well. That’s a big payoff.
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Yeah.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
Smoke the hooka, play guitar, see my girlfriend and ride my motorcycle.
Pets? Family?
Bailey, a Jack Russell Terrier, my tarantula named Kitty and two scorpions named Bonnie and Clyde. I have four brothers and a sister. My sister raises the queens.
Favorite TV shows.
“MythBusters”, “Stargate Atlantis”, “Futurama” and “Family Guy”.
Movies.
“Happy Gilmore”, “The Princess Bride”, “Natural Born Killers”, and “What the Bleep do We Know”. I like anything with Robin Williams and Adam Sandler.
Books.
“The Meditations” and “The Da Vinci Code”.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
My bank, gmail, myspace and whatever else I am researching at the time.
Where do you play?
Night clubs like The Mercury Cafe.
Go out to eat?
I like to eat at sushi bars and Japanese and Chinese restaurants.
———
Store hours:
12-6 p.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Located at 6609 S. Shields in Fort Collins. (The northwest corner of Trilby and Shields.)
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