Why Bees? Uncovering the Surprising Benefits of Beekeeping for Autism and Epilepsy

As a family, we were determined to find ways to help our son Jackson after his diagnosis of autism. Together, we embarked on a journey of exploring different therapies and treatments. Despite our efforts, we faced many setbacks and disappointments as we tried different options without success. But we didn’t give up hope, and during our search, we stumbled upon an old remedy that piqued our interest: honey. Believed to possess therapeutic properties, we believed it could provide some relief for Jackson’s allergies. This discovery marked a turning point for us, and we decided to give it a try and see if it could make a difference for Jackson.

We began our journey by introducing Jackson to the therapeutic benefits of local honey. We gave him a teaspoon of it every day, with the hope of relieving his allergies. As we were working on improving his health, we noticed that he had become fascinated with the bees in our rosemary plants. He would watch them fly in and out with wonder and would often say “Bees Are Hiding.” This caught our curiosity and we decided to explore beekeeping as a hobby. It was a way for our family to connect with nature and spend quality time together. So, we decided to have a local beekeeper deliver a hive filled with 10,000 bees. This marked the birth of our beekeeping venture, The Hidden Bee. Our eldest son Zachary became involved, he loved the bees, and would always go with us to check the hives and help feed the bees. Even our neighbors and best friends joined in the hobby of apiculture.

While beekeeping and honey may not have been a complete cure for all of Jackson’s symptoms of autism and epilepsy, it did provide a new path for us and a different kind of therapy among the various treatments we tried. It gave us a new passion and purpose as a family and helped us to connect with nature in a unique way. It was an unexpected turn in our journey, but we saw the positive impact it had on Jackson’s overall well-being and we couldn’t be more grateful for the bees and the new opportunities they brought to our lives.

Through all this, we realized that life can take unexpected turns and that following our son’s lead can bring about amazing opportunities. Jackson’s kind and generous heart brought us all together as a family and we are now more united than ever. Thanks to the bees, we discovered a new passion and purpose. And most importantly, we saw how our son became more calm and more content around the bees and how it had an impact on his overall well-being. It was a small change but it made a huge impact on our lives, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the bees and this journey we shared together as a family.