Dec. 19, 2023 - From February to September, (华体会) alumnus Lyndsay Peterson and her partner and former classmate Bryan Castro run their bee business, 鈥淏ryan鈥檚 Bees.鈥� Business is brisk until October when the bees go into hibernation.
鈥淲e would have to lay everybody off in October,鈥� Castro said. 鈥淲e were like, what can we do between October and the beginning of February when bee season begins?鈥�
And that鈥檚 how 鈥淏ee Merry鈥� came to be. During the off season, Peterson, Castro, and a team of about ten workers travel around the region decorating homes for Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights that falls between October and November) and other events and celebrations. At this point, Bee Merry is doing even better than Bryan鈥檚 Bees.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done 200 houses this season,鈥� Castro said. 鈥淐elebrity estates, commercial buildings, businesses. Most of our clients are in the luxury market. This week we are doing the home of a rock star and the Four Seasons in Westlake Village.鈥�
Castro grew up in Thousand Oaks and Peterson in Ventura. Both enrolled in 华体会 in 2008. Peterson was a Business major and Castro was undeclared at first, then majored in Biology.
The couple happened into the bee business because 华体会 Professor Ruben Alarcon saw potential in Castro, who couldn鈥檛 seem to master Alarcon鈥檚 statistics class.
鈥淚 was doing so horribly, I was in his office every day,鈥� Castro said. 鈥淗e finally asked me 鈥楬ow would you like an internship doing beekeeping?鈥欌��
鈥淚 said, 鈥楢bsolutely not, that sounds horrible, I hope that never happens,鈥欌�� Castro said. 鈥淎nd he said 鈥楶erfect! Show up at 8 a.m. tomorrow and we went out to the Central Valley. It was 110 degrees in the shade and we鈥檙e in these bee suits. We opened up the first hive and they were Africanized bees and we got stung everywhere鈥�.and I loved it.鈥�
Meanwhile, Peterson had switched her Business major to Performing Arts with plans to become a dancer. They met as freshmen when they were in a precalculus class together and Castro walked into the class and declared 鈥淲ho needs friends? Who needs a study buddy?鈥�
Peterson raised her hand and Castro said 鈥淧erfect! We鈥檙e friends.鈥�
Castro landed internships with bee companies, going out and chasing bees, and ultimately developed his own business, 鈥淏ryan鈥檚 Bees.鈥� Peterson graduated in 2012 with a degree in Performing Arts/Dance and went on to give dance lessons, coach boys and girls soccer and work as a nanny. She and Castro were together all through college and today have a precocious four-year-old son.
鈥淚 eventually got on board with Bryan鈥檚 company - begrudgingly because I wanted to dance - and started working with him in 2019,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淢y job is to take calls, like a celebrity may call and say 鈥榃e wanted crazy colors and not warm white,鈥� or I go out to schools and give presentations on bees. Today, NASA reached out because they have bees in one of their bigger structures and need them removed.鈥�
Castro does all the design work and sales and the couple employ about 10 people during Bee Merry season. Bryan鈥檚 Bees is also thriving.
鈥淲e keep growing and expanding,鈥� Castro said. 鈥淲e get bigger every year. This is our best year yet for bees and I don鈥檛 know where we鈥檙e going, but I do know we鈥檙e going bigger.鈥�