As a child, Renee Kinney remembers the container of honey on the dining room table. But it wasn’t bought from a store. Her grandfather 
and father had beehives at their homes, often putting together jars of honey for friends and family.
Inspired by that delicious sweet treat, the Clarksville-based Kinney decided to start her own honey business. Looking for a fun, flirty name, she decided on Sexy Bee Honey and incorporated a logo with a winking queen bee.
She sold her first batches of honey last fall at Manor Hill Brewing in Ellicott City. She offers three different flavors: plain, cinnamon and rich vanilla bean.
Last year’s batch came from black locust trees, a rare treat, she was told. “You never know each year what is going to bloom,” she says. This year’s output will depend on where the bees travel—usually not too far from their hive. “It might be a little different but it is still going to be really good honey,” Kinney says.
Kinney started with two hives, with about 30,000 bees each, and plans to add two more hives this spring. Each hive produces about 60 to 120 pounds of honey, depending on conditions. Kinney is enjoying getting to know her bees. “It is just amazing how bees function,” she says. “They are the smartest creatures that you can ever think of.”
For more information, sexybeehoney.com.
