Jeremy Bradshaw is the owner and sole caretaker of the 150 beehives and approximately one million bees that make up his business, Humble B, in Poplar Bluff. The catch? He’s allergic to them.
Jeremy’s unexpected adventure with hives began in 2018. “A friend of mine had some beehive boxes, and so he asked to put his bees on my farm,” Jeremy says. “At first I was like, ‘I’m allergic to them, to be honest with you.’ ” Eventually, Jeremy ended up taking his friend’s beehives but placed them on land far away from his house. “I stayed a long ways away from them, but then I got to reading and watching YouTube. Within a week, I had me a bee suit, and I was elbow deep in the hive. They just intrigued me.”
As someone who is always onto the next project or adventure, Jeremy quickly grew an appreciation for the hardworking nature of bees. “Honeybees [worker bees] only live for six weeks during the prime collection part of the year,” Jeremy says. “Everybody in the hive has a job, and the hive depends on all of them working together.” He became fascinated by their way of life, each bee having a job to do and laboring hard to do it.
For Jeremy, the humming from the hives and the scent of the honey brings him a lot of peace. “I’m a hyper person really, and they kind of calm you down. It’s very calming and relaxing to work a hive,” he explains. “And when you first crack open the beehive and you smell the pollen and fresh nectar—the dried down honey—it’s the best smell.”
Jeremy’s passion for beekeeping has grown ever since he became fascinated with beehives. In 2018, he decided to open his business, Humble B, where he harvests the “liquid gold” from his hives and sells it for others to enjoy. Along with his growing love for honeybees, Jeremy has grown an appreciation for educating others about honeybees and the work that they do. Jeremy serves as the vice president of the Dexter Bee Club and teaches a beginners bee course so that others can learn the art of beekeeping. In this six- to eight-hour long class, he goes over the beekeeping equipment and what to expect when caring for a hive. Jeremy also offers an advanced course where students can put on bee suits, venture onto his farm, and physically work with the hives.
In addition to the beekeeping courses, Jeremy also does educational events. “I truly enjoy presenting to people that know nothing about them. I mean, you tell somebody it takes 12 bees their entire life to make one teaspoon of honey, and they have to visit almost a billion flowers to make that one teaspoon. It’s just the amazement in their faces,” he says. During his demonstrations, Jeremy covers the life cycle of a honeybee and the different types of honeybees.
Humble B sells a range of products from whole honeycombs to honey packaged in vintage Muth bottles. One of his most popular products, creamed honey, is commonly sold to people who prefer a lighter honey option that is flavored. “It’s sometimes hard to sell the raw, so I got into making creamed honey. We have seven different flavors,” he notes. Humble B’s creamed honey flavors include traditional creamed honey, jalapeño, strawberry, elderberry, blackberry, chocolate, and cinnamon. Jeremy regularly ships creamed honey all over the United States, with sales spanning from California to New York.
Humble B sells honey products from its website, and also in person at farmers’ markets across the state. Its products can be found on the shelves of over 50 stores around Missouri, such as Opys in Ellington, Archer Gift Co. in Poplar Bluff, and The Nature Cottage in Piedmont.
This article appeared in the May 2025 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
