(a.k.a. The Bee Medic)
By day, Mike is the president of an insurance agency. By nights and weekends, he is a backyard bee and California quail keeper. Along with a few chickens. He got into beekeeping because he was affected by reading the disturbing news concerning colony collapse disorder. Given that he is also an accomplished gardener, Mike thought he could improve his crops and give a home to some bees at the same time.
Dubbed The Bee Medic by The Bee Guru, Mike often works with Gregg McMahan to assist with bee rescues and to give bees a home. Two of the major scenes in the film include Mike assisting with the infamous Barn Feral Hive Rescue and the equally intense Hive Marriage of the feral bees with one of Mike’s existing hives.
Mike is also known as The Frugal Beekeeper and he gives sage advice on how to save money by improvising materials. He shows what you can do with a $1 hat he bought in Chinatown in San Francisco, an army surplus uniform, netting and gloves. Yes, you too can have an effective bee suit for $23!