Not many elementary schoolers have their own bee suit—and a desire to care for honey bees.
But donning a kid-sized white jacket and mesh veil is just a part of life for 8-year-old Charlotte Schrader of Lakeville, Minnesota. She knows bees can sting, so she isn’t without fear. However, she loves honey and is so intrigued by honey bees that she’ll put on her kit whenever she gets the chance. After all, getting a good view of the bees—and honey to drizzle on everything—is worth the risk.
“I like them because they give us honey, and I love looking inside their home,” she says, standing in her backyard, which is home to two of her family’s eight hives in Dakota County.
Charlotte is the daughter of Brandon Schrader, a squadron commander with the U.S. Air Force Reserve—and one of Minnesota’s newest Bee Veterans participants.
Uniquely suited to veterans
What exactly is a Bee Veteran? Schrader found himself asking this question when he spotted an informational flier about the University of Minnesota Bee Veterans program at the Minnesota State Fair. He looked online and discovered he could learn beekeeping from experts through the Bee Squad, a collaboration between University of Minnesota Extension and the University’s Bee Lab.
He learned that beekeeping resonates uniquely among military veterans: It’s a way to continue to serve before or after retirement from active service. It can be a path toward empowerment in a new civilian life and maybe even bee-related entrepreneurship. And in some cases, it can be a step toward better wellness. Working with venomous insects demands that beekeepers be fully present, so the process can also boost mindfulness in therapeutic ways.
Starting small, then expanding
For Schrader, getting into beekeeping was more about connecting with other vets, boosting his daughter’s love of honey and satisfying his own curiosity, which was piqued when he saw backyard beekeeping at a friend’s yard in Chicago. So he took the leap and registered for the Bee Veterans workshops about three years ago.
“I wanted to teach my daughter that we can generate our own honey—and work to provide a better environment for the bees by growing more flowers and vegetables,” Schrader says, adding that his 5-year-old daughter, Alice, is still tentative about the bees, but definitely curious. “I am hoping someday she will want her own suit to help get into the hives.”
In 2024, Schrader was able to start two hives in his backyard at a relatively low initial cost (with Minnesota Vikings colors added for flair). This spring he added six more hives—three at two different farms near Lakeville that needed pollinators for their crops. His 2025 honey crop was 3.5 gallons, taken mostly from his first two hives.
Charlotte is involved with hive inspections, as well as harvesting and bottling the honey. Schrader's wife, Christine, also working in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, works with the girls on packaging their honey with custom-designed labels. She’s also a skilled clothing designer and seamstress, having produced award-winning honey- and bee-themed apparel for the girls.
Going beyond YouTube
Schrader greatly appreciates the ability to learn beekeeping hands-on at the Bee Veterans’ apiary near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
“You can learn only so much watching YouTube videos or reading about beekeeping,” he says, adding that he’s astonished by the knowledge the program instructors offer—all specific to Minnesota beekeeping. “Their work and research at the U Bee Lab provides insights into improving our beekeeping practices. They walk you through the process and show you what you should be looking for and doing at that point in the season.”
Next up for Schrader? He wants to start more colonies, maybe as many as 20 in the next few years.
“I’d like to find some land where I can set up the hives all in one spot and plant bee-friendly wildflowers and sunflowers,” he says. “My daughters have visions of setting up a stand at the corner of our yard and selling honey to help generate some money. I’d like to support their entrepreneurism and generate honey to gift to family and friends.”
The Bee Veterans program is just part of the University’s resources for beekeepers and others who are interested in a variety of pollinators. The Bee Lab recently published a 100-page “Guide to Beekeeping in Northern Climates,” available for free as a PDF download, interactive Flipbook, and printed guide. It can be combined with a new, third-edition “Beekeeping in Northern Climates” manual used in the University’s online and in-person courses of the same name.
Support the Bee Squad and bee research, education, and outreach at the University of Minnesota.
- Categories:
- Agriculture and Environment
- Environmental health
