Our Story

Like the pedigree of the Killer Bee, born of wild, exotic travels, our families boast a blend of cultures, continents and religions. My mother escaped Nazi Germany on the last boat before Hitler canceled all visas to Jews. My father was a Baptist who grew up in Southern Appalachia during the Depression. My wife’s father was a Turkish Muslim immigrant who met his Polish Catholic wife on a blind date at the University of Illinois.

Having faced and conquered adversity, Killer Bee descendants eventually made America their home. Similarly, my wife and I migrated through the urban landscapes of Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago before settling at the summit of a mountain in the Smokies. Except for the constant hum of millions of hard-working bees, we enjoy a quiet life. We gladly share our woods with wild turkey, deer, coyote, fox, bobcat and a noisy Pileated Woodpecker. Black bears occasion by. That’s when our Killer Bees put their inner scutellata to good use.

Our Killer Bees have a fascinating and varied genealogy. I wish I could translate the Queens' ancient humming and eavesdrop on the stories passed from hive to hive. Sadly, I am as deaf to their song as I was to the Yiddish curses that colored my mother’s speech when I was young. But we are confident that once you taste Killer Bees Honey, you too will appreciate our blend, which generations of bees have perfected.

Learn more about the unique honey our bees produce in Western North Carolina surrounded by 512,000 acres of the Pisgah National Forest.

The Beekeeper

Our Journey Continues

Becoming Part of The NC Wildlife Conservation Lands Program

Killer Bees Honey is proud to be recognized by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as a wildlife refuge. We strive to provide a better place not just for visitors like us, but for generations of insects and animals that pollinate 90% of the surrounding Pisgah Forest and the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Read more about the Killer Bees Honey Wildlife Refuge.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Game Lands Program
Owners Sean Collinsworth and Denise Altay Our beekeeper working the Killer Bees Honey Smoky Mountain hives Staying fit on a beautiful day for a bike ride Sean hits the woods for an outdoor hunting adventure Investigating a honey bee swarm among the trees