About Us

 

 

 

    My name is Fred Smith and my son is Daniel Smith and we are F & D Apiaries.  My family has been in the honeybee business for over 100 years dating back to my Great Grandfather Meade Garfield Smith.  My father  is now in his seventies and owns over two thousand hives and Daniel and I started with 20 hives of our own just three years ago and today we have 160 hives.  Prior to going into business for ourselves we worked for my dad.  I also have an older brother, Tim who works in the honeybee business as well.  

 

 

 

  

 

     My son Daniel is a fourth generation bee keeper and has been helping out since he was five or six years old.  He started out making frames and riding along, until he became my business partner working along side me in the bee apiaries.  Daniel loves to work the Farmer's Market and takes pleasure in entering honey, wax and other products in the local Fairs, State Fairs and even the Maryland State Bee Keepers Association.  He has become extremely knowledgeable in the subject of honeybees and we are quite proud of him.

 

 

  My wife Jo Anne works behind the scenes helping out.  She paints hives, does invoicing, spread sheets and helps Daniel make products like creamed honey, lip balm or working with wax.  She also helps Daniel get ready for the Fairs.  Sometimes she will ride along with us when we are working the honeybees to take pictures or help out.  She usually cleans up after us and trys to keep us in order, which isn't always an easy job.