Bees for Bravery

We will not be accepting Bees for Bravery applications for the 2024-2025 seasons due to the Chief Bee being deployed with the Missouri National Guard. Please check back Fall 2025. Thank you for understanding!

Beekeeping is a fun hobby for many people, but it can also be type of therapy for some. Bees for Bravery is a program where Bee Found will give veterans living with PTSD or similar issues free beehives and mentorship to turn them into life-long beekeepers. Despite their bad reputation, bees are quite therapeutic and very relaxing to be around. We want to give veterans the opportunity to focus their energy on helping to save one of the most beneficial pollinators on the planet and give them an outlet for their frustrations all while reaping the benefits of keeping bees. 

We believe in the power of community to help heal those with invisible wounds. And there is no better healing community than those of bees!

To learn more about Bees for Bravery and be added to our waitlist, sign up for our email updates. Make sure you click on Bees for Bravery (formerly Wings for Warriors) to just get updates about this program. You will not get regularly scheduled emails, only informative emails about the program and how to apply. 

You can check out an interview with the Founder and Chief Bee, Jeremy Idleman, with KSDK Channel 5 here.

And to learn more why Bee Found, and specifically, why Bees for Bravery was founded, take a look at our Bee Blog. 

Interested in getting started?

Are you a veteran or first responder? Ready to get started? There is currently a waiting list for 2022, but if you feel like you’re ready, please fill out the form below and we’ll put you on the waitlist. Note that we are currently only accepting applications for the greater St. Louis Metropolitan area. When your hive is close to being ready, we’ll contact you to discuss hive placement, approximate time of when your hive will arrive and your leap into beekeeping!