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Local businessman Ernie Hobbs has a side gig and it’s sweet.

In addition to his work as owner of Tennessee Homes, Hobbs is one of as many as twelve beekeepers in the Tullahoma area. And he has the bee stings to prove it.

Although a beekeeper newbie, Hobbs considers his first year as a beekeeper a success. He extracted 70 pounds of honey from his eleven hives.

Hobbs shared how he started his sweet side gig.

“My wife Tamara and I attended a gardening seminar where a speaker mentioned half the bee population died in 2022. The speaker encouraged anyone interested to join a local bee club and learn beekeeping.”

After the gardening seminar, Hobbs accepted the challenge and attended bee clubs in Shelbyville and Winchester where he found the beekeepers to be both friendly and helpful. Later he purchased a bee suit, thick gloves and a smoker. He also purchased frames for the bees to build on and hive boxes to store the frames. Hobbs also took bee classes.

So, what will the Hobbs do with 70 pounds of honey this year? They gift about a quarter of the honey to friends and family. The balance of the honey is put in one-pound jars and sold for $10. One pound honey with honeycomb is sold for $15.

Beekeeping is not for the faint of heart. “Getting stung is inevitable. Even with protective gear, bees occasionally find an exposed wrist or finger. I’ve learned to make a baking soda paste that helps relieve the itching and swelling when I apply to the stings.”

Hobbs does not spend a lot of time managing his sweet side gig.

“When I first started, I spent four to eight hours a week beekeeping, mostly just fascinated by watching the bees work and grow. Now that the hives are mature, I only spend four hours a month tending to the bees. Each hive is really it’s own community where every bee knows its job. The bees are incredibly efficient at developing their hive communities.”

Hobbs estimates he has over 1,000,000 bees in his eleven hives. His initial bees were purchased from local bee clubs. He has also posted on Facebook that he is available to catch bee swarms and that has added to his colony.

Need honey? Stop by Tennessee Homes, 903 North Jackson Street, and purchase a pound or two from Hobbs’ sweet side gig, Hobbs Honey Hives.