Community Highlights: Meet Ilya (Eli) Barkanov of Eli the Bee Guy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilya (Eli) Barkanov.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up in a family of 7 kids, we had no TV allowed in the house and I picked up a hobby that would surprise most people. I was 15 years old , a crazy teenager doing crazy things and I happened to have a friend who did something crazy. He kept bees! I had the bright and crazy idea to go see what that’s all about. I fell in love. It was crazy, fun, therapeutic, and so interesting. Lucky me I had parents who were supportive of that hobby and allowed me to keep bees. I ended up being a commercial Beekeeper at a ripe age of 15.

I was not content with just beekeeping, apparently it wasn’t crazy enough so I joined a company that focused on removing and relocating honey bees to Beekeepers. I thought that was a fantastic idea especially knowing that our honey bee populations are responsible for about 80% of our crops, and they were struggling. I felt the call to remove and relocate honey bees to beekeepers as well. What I originally started as a hobby ended up being a business ; when I started posting my videos of my work on social media. Many publishers and a big accounts would start sharing my content. And what happened to be a hobby turned into a business where I now serve the major part of Southern California rescuing honey bees.

Skip to several years later, I have managed to set the industry standard for professional bee removal and relocation. Credit where credit is due, I was taught by some of the best in the business. Save the Bees!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggles were navigating the world of marketing and website development on top of learning SEO strategies and filming content and editing content and doing the work all at the same time with my own two hands. Eventually I was able to save up enough money to delegate some of this work like editing my content and sharing it on social media to a social media manager.

As you know, we’re big fans of Eli the Bee Guy . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What I’m known for is rescuing and relocating honey bees to beekeepers as the alternative to extermination. Since exterminating bees in California is now illegal due to the California endangered species act of 2022, our main focus is offering the alternative. Not everything needs to be exterminated especially not the honey bees that pollinate 80% of our crops.

What sets me apart is setting the industry standard to customer service and doing quality work and bringing integrity back to business , how it used to be back in the day.

Helping people do the right thing is everything!

I’m known for being the guy who climbs cell towers and high-rises and being the one who goes where nobody else wants to go. Quality work is the only work we seek to do. There is a reason I was deemed uninsurable by insurance companies in California. Because as my videos testify….. Apparently I’m still that crazy teenager at heart

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
The best way for me was to start working for a company that already was in business for 50 plus years in the bee rescue industry, a specific company called Bee specialist owned by Ronald O’Brien in Ventura county area. He taught me everything I know and I perfected the craft using my own techniques as well.

I’m personally also happy to mentor anyone wanting to get into this field. There is a ton of high risk of overcoming heights and confined spaces and getting stung daily. This isn’t for everyone and it takes love to do this kind of work.

Pricing:

• Pricing can vary from $250 and go up to $1200 depending on the scenario. No two situations are alike.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Elithebeeguy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elibarks1
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Elibarks
• Twitter: https://x.com/ElitheBeeGuy1
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elithebeeguy
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/J1reDv0Bb_

Image Credits
I own all content, all content filmed by myself