Abilene beekeeper turns personal loss into mission to save bees

BUFFALO GAP, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – After experiencing a profound personal loss in 2019, Tiffany Harelik felt drawn in an unexpected direction toward beekeeping.

What started as a healing journey soon evolved into a mission. Harelik, a resident of Abilene who grew up in Buffalo Gap, now owns Hacienda Harelik and actively participates in the West Texas Beekeepers Guild. She collects displaced bees and relocates them to a rescue apiary, a facility where bees are cared for and maintained, helping these colonies thrive and continue their natural lives.

Harelik’s interest began months after her mother died in July 2019. She soon found herself drawn to beekeeping in a way that felt deeply connected to her loss.

“And I don’t know, you just start to hear the bees calling you. There’s something greater that’s happening when you get called to become a beekeeper,” Harelik said.

As she worked through her loss, Harelik discovered something meaningful within the beekeeping community. She mentioned that many people who take up the craft carry deep stories of their own.

“You can’t be distracted by all of life’s thoughts when you are present with the bees. You have to take deep breaths and go slow,” she said.

In those months, beekeeping became a way for Harelik to reconnect with herself and the world around her.

“The calling of the bees helped me get more centered, more present, answer a higher calling, and just was a special part of my life,” she said.

At first, she thought it would be a small garden project. Books promised bees could boost crop yields by 40 percent, and she said she saw her wildflowers thrive. But the hobby quickly grew. She began helping neighbors with their gardens and later worked with commercial growers planting vegetables for grocery stores.

She never planned to make it a business, but that changed in the winter of 2024 when a friend offered to sell their business, which led to Harelik having her own beekeeping business.

Today, through Hacienda Harelik, she focuses on honey production and education. She teaches others how to keep bees, whether for home gardens or honey shows. Even during bee removals, she takes the opportunity to explain the lives of bees and their importance to the environment.

Recently, Harelik brought bees to the Buffalo Gap Farmers Market for the first time, where the community’s curiosity was immediate.

“I’m so excited to bring the bees here for the first time at the Buffalo Gap Farmer’s Market. We’ve had a lot of interest on social media in meeting the bees and seeing them. They’re super safe behind plexiglass, and so it’s a great opportunity for me to be able to point out, here’s the food, here’s the brood, here’s how they make honey. It’s just a really fun opportunity for people to see them doing their thing,” Harelik said.

The West Texas Beekeepers Guild will also host its first bee school in Buffalo Gap on October 18, marking a new milestone for local beekeeping education.