About Us

In 2020, he launched The California Beekeeper on YouTube. Garnering nearly 17 million views and a growing tribe of 27k subscribers, he aims to make critical information widely available through this accessible platform while building an engaged community of passionate people devoted to protecting nature’s most vital pollinators: honeybees.

Jose's values of integrity, faith, family, and hard work are the backbone of Uribe Honey Bees. He takes great pride in mentoring veterans and youth in the beekeeping industry. He is also committed to advocating for change in agriculture policies and regulations through the farm bill, ensuring the livelihoods of farmers and the food we consume.

Based in the heart of Northern California, Uribe Honey Bees offers exceptional commercial almond pollination, brokering services, and high-quality mated queens. Jose focuses on nurturing healthy colonies through advanced genetics, ethical practices, and continuous learning from research initiatives. His vision is to make a lasting impact by ensuring the success of our customers through strong communication, unwavering support, and honeybee education. Let’s protect and nurture these remarkable creatures for generations to come!

A Small Family Business

"I remember back to one of my first commercial beekeeping experiences with Jose. We were out in a yard with a crew of men efficiently shaking one hundred 3-pound wooden packages using the smoke-up method. I was astonished by the production- a finely orchestrated dance, you could call it. Smokers were rolling, bodies were moving, and bees were flying. 

Mind you, Jose and I had just begun dating at this time. I was a city girl entirely out of my element. I wasn't fond of anything that flew and would scream at the sight of a spider. Yet here I was in the middle of a lowcut yellow field in yoga leggings and a bee jacket. My greatest fear was that I would accidentally encounter ticks, all the while not realizing bees can sting through tights. The air was thick with loudly buzzing bees from 140 colonies being disturbed all at once.

If you have never seen a commercial beekeeper collecting bulk bees, regardless of the method, you would be amazed. These bees were shaken from their boxes into a "basket" (cage) and weighed on a scale pound-for-pound. They are then transferred to their "packages", a queen and can of syrup are added, and they’re ready for sale. 

It has been seven years since that memorable experience, and although we still offer packages at Uribe Honey Bees, we have since transitioned into focusing on commercial queen breeding on a controlled scale. My passion lies in grafting, overseeing cell builders and breeders, and managing our breeding program.

We are anchored in a bedrock committed to quality, year-round customer support, and education. As a Commercial Northern California Queen Producer, we are proud to offer queens our colleagues across the United States can depend on to help their colonies thrive to their fullest potential." 

-Kelly Saelao