Kelli S. Hewett
Beekeeper Ginger Clark of Mountain Brook
Beekeeper Ginger Clark of Mountain Brook bottles home-grown honey through her business We Bees Working.
She doesn’t claim to be a “bee charmer,” but after nearly 25 years of tending honey bee hives, enduring stings and losing colonies, Mountain Brook beekeeper Ginger Clark still can’t imagine life without the low, thrumming chorus of her bees.
And as the weather warms up, so does local bee season.
Clark’s journey began when she transformed an old backyard tennis court into a lush vegetable and fruit garden, determined to boost pollination. A beekeeping course at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens led to her first hive — and a series of hard, often comical lessons that taught her just how much care goes into keeping bees alive. Today, her small business, fittingly named We Bees Working, has grown to eight hives and a devoted following that believes her bees produce honey as nuanced as a fine wine.
From the beginning, Clark understood the stakes. “If we do not have bees, we do not have food,” she said simply.
That belief has carried her through steep learning curves — like the day she tried installing a new queen and a basket of bees in less-than-sturdy pants.
“I thought I was Miss Bee Charmer,” she said with a laugh. “They proceeded to sting me. You have to be real calm. You cannot run.”
Photos courtesy of Ginger Clark.
Beekeeper Ginger Clark's honey
Ginger Clark says she wants to pass on her love of beekeeping to younger generations. Clark handles most every aspect of her beekeeping herself, from beekeeping to extraction to bottling and adding wax seals.
Her process evolved from straining comb over a bucket to using a professional electric extractor and carefully pouring honey into four-, eight- and 16-ounce jars, plus old vintage bottles and jars sealed in wax she renders herself.
“I have a good problem in that I run out of honey every year,” she said.
Clark’s affection for her bees extends well beyond the honey. She loves their discipline, their history and their role in the wider world.
“I admire them. They’re very, very hard workers,” she said. “Think how long they’ve been around.”
Clark even treats them like family in some ways, practicing the old European tradition of “telling the bees” about big life events.
“If there’s a wedding in the family, you’re supposed to tell them about it,” Clark said. “If there’s a death in the family, or a birthday, I go out and talk to them.”
Mike Soike, president of the Jefferson County Beekeepers’ Association, said local hives are far from a rarity in the Birmingham metro area.
“I think there’s a lot more beehives than people realize in the community,” Soike said. “Alabama has a rich history of beekeeping, mainly because of the temperate and warm climate. It’s a really interesting, great amalgamation of people.”
Jesse “Butch” Glass, another Mountain Brook area beekeeper, of Mr. B’s Neighborhood Honey, also shares a love of bees.
“Bees have done quite well for 100 million years without human interference,” said Glass, who says he takes more of a hands-off approach with his bees. “They tolerate beekeepers. I’m not so sure beekeepers actually assist them very much.”
For Clark, the work is as much about legacy as honey. Now she teaches grandchildren and young neighbors to build frames, pour honey and suit up alongside her.
“I just want to encourage people to beekeep,” Clark said. “It’s really a wonderful, wonderful hobby. You’ve got to pass it on.”
