I'm that person that flails and screams, entirely making a fool of myself, when a fly buzzes past my ear. It's the combination of the noise, the speed at which those suckers move and my unfounded fear that one will get stuck in my hair and/or fly into my ear making it their new residence.
You can imagine my reaction when I was asked to photograph thousands of bees, which, in my assessment, are the scariest flying creatures God ever invented. This unique opportunity was my chance at proving to myself, and those who know me well, that I could, in fact, conquer my greatest fear and live to tell.

I've tried to think of a more exciting, more profound and more depth-filled word than interesting. I've landed on extraordinary. The couple I spent time with last week was truly extraordinary. Joseph Mitchell, or JM as his friends call him, and Freida, his wife of 55 years, embody the essence of a locally rooted business. And I mean truly local. Not the marketing slang, or half-truth, thrown around at every new café, coffee shop and boutique. I'm talking Richmond Hill local, through and through. Richmond Hill Bee Company, the honey business owned by the Sikes, starts and ends here in the Hill. Either JM or Freida's hands, literally — not figuratively speaking here — touch every part of the process: from the beekeeping to the bottling to the end-customer delivery.

Like all passionate business owners, JM and Freida were happy to give me a thorough education on the backbone of their company: the bees. I'll be honest. I still despise and fear the buzz of a flying bee, but I now have a new appreciation for the phrase "busy bee." Next time I'm tempted to flail my arms as a bee flies by, instead I'll stop and be grateful for the work she is doing. And yes, it would be she. Through a crooked smile, Freida informed me that in the world of bees, "Women do all the work," with the only exception being the queen. Whether or not the duties of the queen are strenuous is left to interpretation. Her only job is to stay in the hive and lay 800–1000 eggs daily. The queen is noticeably larger than the other bees and there's only one queen per hive. While bravely standing next to JM as he pulled the rack out of the hive box, he pointed the queen out to me. I must say it was quite obvious — she's a much fatter and longer bee than the rest.

While I continued to learn about the bee species: drone bees (the male, primary job to mate with queen), worker bees (the female, primary job of gathering nectar), and the intricacies of beekeeping, I was equally as fascinated with JM's personal story. Like I said, he's extraordinary. JM was born in a tent on the river. Fitting as it may be, he's always been enamored with water. "By the time I could stand up, I wish fishing," he tells me matter-of-factly. He's humbled yet proud of his lifetime accomplishments, and at 76 years old, he is one of the few people who can honestly say, "I've never drawn a paycheck from anyone else my whole life."

He learned his trade early in life from his dad. He remembers as a child giving the honey away to friends and family, or at best, using it to barter. It was JM and Freida who made a business from their bee savvy. With three children, 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, these two stay busy enough with family, yet they still manage to tend to over 500 hives weekly. I expressed my admiration for his senior citizen stamina and he quickly pointed out, "I've got a place to sit at each location. I'll sit for 10–15 minutes and get back up and work again." It's captivating to watch the couple interact with their bees. I'd venture to say it's a relationship. JM told me over and over, "I know these bees, they aren't going to hurt you, they're calm today." He spoke with such confidence I couldn't help but believe him. Freida casually placed her bare hands in several hive boxes to show me the inner-workings and logistics of the process. At one point, JM grabbed a tool from his pocket, scraped raw honey off the rack and said, "Try some, it's real good." And it was. Absolutely delicious.

Freida continued by telling me some of the ways she and her husband, who she married at age 14, use honey in their day-to-day life. JM, in particular, uses honey on his pancakes and oatmeal, as well as on his cuts and scrapes. "I use it like a sterry strip — there are a lot of healing agents in honey," adds JM. It's quite the versatile product. The wax from the hives is often used to make candles and lip balm. Nothing from their annual six 50-gallon drum harvest is wasted. Some practical tips from Freida included one I would not have known: Never heat your honey. It will lose nutritional value.

For 32 years, JM and Freida have made a life with their honey. Their honey house is inspected and certified, and everything within their product is completely and organically collected and locally produced. "We know exactly what you are getting in our honey," says Freida. "Even the honey inspector comes all the way to us to get his honey because he knows about our honey!"

The delicious, local and home-grown products from the Richmond Hill Bee Company can be purchased online, at local markets and at the upcoming Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival right here in our beautiful town of Richmond Hill. It was quite the treasure meeting these two hard-working individuals and knowing I have a go-to for honey (and beyond) right in my backyard.