Photo By Cpl. Jacqueline Akamelu | Hive boxes sit atop a bench during a beekeeping program meeting at Marine Corps Base...... read more read more
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Clad head to toe in suits of lightweight, snowy fabric, a group of seven approaches a row of weathered wooden boxes stacked neatly atop one another. Some are painted an array of bright blues and creams, while others are completely bare. Each crate, slightly chipped from wear, containing its own calming colony of life and healing.
Approaching the reverb of buzzing, the group is led by a beekeeper with a worn, rusted bear-faced smoker emitting a name-matching, acrid, bitter smell: Colby Gibbs, with Bee Leaf USA. Today, service members are learning the ins and outs of beekeeping, the group effort that goes into a hive, and its calming effects as they participate in the partnership program offered by Bee Leaf USA and Wounded Warrior Battalion - West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 13, 2026.
“That’s what we do here: hive inspections,” explains Colby Gibbs, a beekeeper with Bee Leaf USA. “We go into a hive. We’ll open it up. We’ll pull out the frames. We’ll find the queen. We’ll make sure the queen is laying eggs. This time of year, you want to make sure that they’re still bringing in resources because they are loading up for winter.”
Beekeeping, the practice of owning or caring for honeybees, has existed for centuries. Public understanding of the positive environmental impacts of honeybees has continued to grow. Today, the program uses beekeeping to help service members recover from major injuries.
“It caters to the mind, the body, and the soul,” explains Travis Wolfe, Bee Leaf USA Founder, “So you know, from the bodily perspective or the physical perspective, honeybees and their proximity to the hive. There are studies now coming out that demonstrate that if you have long-term exposure to the vibrations and the frequencies of those beehives, that is a part of why "quote unquote" beekeepers are living longer than other people. Because, from a cellular level, it is actually helping realign cells and allow them to basically gain a bodily treatment every time they're doing beekeeping, simply because the hives are resonating at a natural frequency that the rest of the world is not producing.”
The calming properties of beehives and beekeeping are connected to the vibrations the bees produce and the sweet, waxy scent of the hive. According to Gibbs, the frequency emitted by the bees corresponds with the earth's rotation, ultimately enveloping beekeepers in a sense of groundedness.
“There’s something called ‘smelling the hive,’ describes Gibbs, “and people just put their face right up to the nose of the beehive, and there’s a lot of healing properties that come from the hive itself that help with alignment.”
The program was integrated with Wounded Warrior Battalion - West through Marine Corps Community Services in 2019 and was inspired by the late U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Robert Anderson, a Vietnam Veteran and beekeeper with Bee Leaf USA. Focused on aiding service members throughout their recovery, the program was intended to provide opportunities for Marines to learn one-on-one with a beekeeper, experience the activity’s psychological benefits and boost emotional resilience in the face of adversity.
“[Anderson] had such a way with people and a way of understanding how things worked. And the bees were a piece of that. And that was why I wanted all of these Marines to experience that; I wanted them to feel the same things he felt. I want them to feel valuable in the same way that he felt valuable through the lens of these bugs.”
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Giovanni Fernandez, a Marine with Wounded Warrior Battalion - West and a longtime beekeeping enthusiast, has found deep admiration and appreciation for the program. Initially joining the program in May 2025, he found a new perspective on his injury and recovery.
“It was extremely calming. [My] nerves came way down,” expresses Fernandez, “I always notice because I wear my Garmin watch all the time, and every single time I've gone out there, my heart rate just dips into a relaxed state, which honestly has been really hard to get. So, finding activities that do that for me is a godsend. It's amazing, and when I do find activities that do work to keep me calm, relaxed, and with my heart rate and stress down, I tend to stick with them. And this is what I mean, this program's done that a lot for me over the entire year now.”
Many who arrive at Wounded Warrior Battalion - West struggle with their sense of identity and feelings of stagnation as they overcome adversity. Working side by side, Wounded Warrior Battalion – West and Bee Leaf USA create a positive, memorable experience for service members who may feel lost during the lengthy recovery process. When Fernandez was asked about the positive impact the program had on him, he shared:
“I would definitely say [the program] worked hand in hand in my mental recovery. Like, when I first got [to Wounded Warrior Battalion - West], I was pretty sad in the fact that I didn't really have anything to do anymore. I love being a Marine, so coming over here to Wounded Warrior Battalion [-West] - the whole point is to recover here. Trying to find [your purpose again] gets really difficult, especially when you first get here. So, doing [the program] has given me something to focus on.”
The beekeeping experience, though unorthodox for the Marine Corps, is one example of countless tools Wounded Warrior Battalion – West has identified and supported to foster an environment focused on helping Marines heal and return to the fleet stronger than before. When asked what he has found impactful since his time with the program, Gibbs shared:
“It's honestly every day that we go out there. I was like, okay, [Fernandez] is going to be here for five sessions, and then he's going to get tired of it. He brings the same light and energy every time, and it's never dull. Anytime anyone goes out there, it's like a brand-new day. […] It's what keeps me coming back. It's what keeps it's what makes me so excited about the bees. [I’ve] been doing this for five years, and still every week I'm learning something new about the bees, and so yeah, just very, very rewarding in that sense.”
The program hopes to continue positively influencing Marines assigned to Wounded Warrior Battalion – West and others across the installation. When asked about the program's future, Wolfe expressed hope that it would develop into a formal SkillBridge program, opening the door to certification for participants. Through offering informal training, he continues to show a deep level of care for the Marines of Wounded Warrior Battalion – West and Camp Pendleton, and for their future.
“I think [the program] provides them lasting merit to look back on, and something just to remind themselves that ‘I did that, and I wasn't planning on it.’ You know, it just kind of gives them another ribbon, for lack of better words, and so there's that first baseline one, and then that allows them to speak to what they know.”
The growing partnership between Bee Leaf USA and Wounded Warrior Battalion – West symbolizes the merited support available to service members throughout every stage of recovery. The hive mind has stood the test of time as a metaphor for the deeper, team-oriented community that fosters strength and resiliency in any clime or place, even in the sweetest of contexts.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 570409 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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