About

meet The beekeepers

Bees have changed our lives.

BeeCo Apiaries is a small, woman-owned and operated apiary in Hancock County just outside of Sparta, Georgia. We manage over 100 hives and are active in local and national beekeeping clubs and associations. Our Sourwood Honey was awarded “Very Highly Commendable” for the Light Extracted Honey Category during the Georgia Beekeepers Association Virtual Honey Show in September 2020.

As a small business, we are grateful for your support which allows us to buy the best equipment and supplies, and take the time we need to make strong, healthy hives we believe in.

We're encouraged by the number of new beekeepers we see each year and of course, our loyal returning customers. We have grown over the years and are now able to offer packages, nucleus hives, and queens to new and experienced beekeepers alike. As a beekeeper, you never stop learning. We hope you’ll join us on this most amazing journey and adventure!

It all started when…

In May 2007, Mary attended the UGA Bee College at Young Harris and purchased her first packages in 2008. Beekeeping is hard and she would not be where she is today without the help of two mentors: Bruce Morgan and Dr. Jamie Ellis. It has taken many years and many dead bees to understand and learn about beekeeping. She continues to learn.

Mary is a Georgia Master Beekeeper. Since 2012, she has been a member of Lake Country Beekeepers Association and served as President from 2016-2018. She is active in the following bee clubs: Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers Association, Clarks Hill Beekeepers, Lake Country Beekeepers Association, Oglethorpe County Beekeepers Association, Georgia Beekeepers Association, and Eastern Apiculture Society.

As BeeCo Apiaries continued to grow, Mary needed additional help with processing the honey, managing hives, and marketing. Her daughter, Katherine, moved back to the area in 2016 and has been helping with the business ever since. Katherine is a Certified Beekeeper through the Young Harris College and University of Georgia Beekeeping Institute and an Apprentice Level Beekeeper through the University of Florida/IFAS Master Beekeeper Program. With marketing and grant writing experience, Katherine helps manage the website, social media, blog, newsletters, and outreach. As part of a collaborative effort with the local beekeeping club and library, Mary and Katherine were able to help secure a grant to install an observation hive at the Hancock County Library through The Bee Cause Project in the summer of 2019. Together, they manage approximately 100 hives and sell queens, 5 frame nucleus hives, packages, and honey.