What Miller Bee Supply does

Miller Bee Supply, Inc. is a family-owned beekeeping supply retailer and manufacturer founded in 1976 and headquartered in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The company sells a comprehensive catalog of beekeeping equipment and consumables — including woodenware (10-frame, 8-frame, and NUC hive components in Select, Commercial, and Budget grades), frames, foundation, protective wear, smokers, medications and treatments, honey extraction and processing equipment, jars and containers, queen supplies, and starter kits — to both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers across the lower 48 U.S. states. Woodenware is manufactured in-house at its 496 Yellow Banks Road facility, which spans more than 23,500 square feet of warehouse and manufacturing space across three buildings constructed between 2003 and 2021. Proprietary frame-making machines, built by owner Presley Miller in 1997, remain in production use today.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer retailer, primarily through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with free shipping on qualifying orders over $150, supplemented by a physical retail shop at the North Wilkesboro headquarters. Pricing is unit-based across the catalog, with tiered quantity discounts on bulk items (e.g., hive bodies dropping from $24.95 to $18.57 at 150+ units) and gift cards available in any denomination starting at $10. Marketing is conducted via email newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram. The company remains family-owned and operated by Presley and Beverly Miller, with third-generation family members Tyler Miller and Bryan Dillard taking over day-to-day operations. Miller Bee Supply was incorporated in 2008 and has no disclosed external investors, institutional funding, or M&A activity.

Name

Miller Bee Supply

Legal name

Miller Bee Supply, Inc.

Website

https://millerbeesupply.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Miller Bee Supply is a family-owned beekeeping supply manufacturer and direct-to-consumer retailer, founded in 1976 in North Wilkesboro, NC, selling woodenware, equipment, medications, and starter kits to hobbyist and commercial beekeepers across the lower 48 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beekeeping Supplies

akta.pro primary industry

Beekeeping Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Hives, Frames, Tools, PPE) (AFAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Beekeeping supplies
• Beehive woodenware
• Honey extraction equipment
• Apiary equipment
• Protective beekeeping wear

Headquarters

HQ city

North Wilkesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Miller Bee Supply generates revenue through the sale of beekeeping equipment and supplies including woodenware (hives, frames, supers), protective wear, tools, medications, honey processing equipment, extractors, feeders, foundation, and beginner kits. Products are sold at various price points with quantity discounts available. Free shipping is offered on orders over $150 in the lower 48 states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Miller Bee Supply is a family-owned retailer and in-house manufacturer of beekeeping supplies. The company sells woodenware (10-frame, 8-frame, and NUC hives, supers, and frames), starter kits, honey extraction and processing equipment, jars, bee feeders and feed, foundation, medications, protective clothing, queen management supplies, hand tools, swarm traps, smokers, and educational books. Woodenware is manufactured at their North Wilkesboro, NC facility using custom frame-making machines built in 1997.

Product overview

Miller Bee Supply is a family-owned beekeeping supply company offering a comprehensive portfolio of woodenware, equipment, consumables, and accessories for hobbyist and commercial beekeepers. The core product line centers on wooden beehive components (10-frame, 8-frame, and NUC configurations) available in Select, Commercial, and Budget grades, both assembled and unassembled. Supporting products include honey extraction equipment (extractors ranging 4-39 frames), honey processing supplies (uncapping tools, bottling equipment, jars), bee feed and feeders, medications and treatments for varroa mites and diseases, protective wear, queen management supplies, tools and hardware, and educational books. Starter kits (Basic and Deluxe) bundle essential components for new beekeepers. The company manufactures most woodenware in-house at their North Wilkesboro, NC facility. All products are distributed through their Shopify e-commerce platform with physical retail presence at their store location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Kit Entry-level beginner beekeeping kit with complete hive setup including telescoping top, inner cover, hive body, frames, bottom board, entrance reducer, plus basic tools (hive tool, entrance feeder, bee brush, smoker), foundation, and instructional book. Available in 10 or 8 frame sizes, assembled or unassembled.
• Deluxe Kit Comprehensive beginner kit including everything in Basic Kit plus an extra complete medium super, metal queen excluder, frame grip, and top syrup feeder. Available in 10 or 8 frame sizes, assembled or unassembled.
• 10 Frame Woodenware Complete line of wooden beehive components in 10-frame configuration including hive bodies, medium supers, shallow supers, telescoping tops, inner covers, bottom boards, and queen excluders. Available in Select, Commercial, and Budget grades.
• 8 Frame Woodenware Complete line of wooden beehive components in 8-frame configuration including hive bodies, medium supers, shallow supers, and all necessary hardware for standard 8-frame hive setups.
• NUC Woodenware and Components Nucleus colony (NUC) equipment in 4, 5, and 6 frame sizes including hive bodies, supers, covers, bottom boards, feeders, and inner covers for starting and housing small colonies.
• Frames Beehive frames in Deep (9-1/8 inch), Medium (6-1/4 inch), and Shallow (5-3/8 inch) sizes. Available in unassembled or assembled configurations with wedge or grooved top bars and slotted or grooved bottom bars. Offered in #1/Select and #2/Commercial grades.
• Assembled Woodenware Pre-assembled beehive components ready for immediate use, including complete hives, hive bodies, medium and shallow supers with or without frames, available in 10-frame, 8-frame, and NUC configurations.
• Extractors Honey extraction equipment ranging from compact 4-frame hand-crank extractors to motorized 39-frame radial extractors. Includes SAF, Kadett, and Regata models for Layens frames, plus replacement parts and motor conversion kits.
• Honey Processing Equipment Complete honey processing supplies including uncapping knives (cold and electric), cappings scratchers, uncapping tanks and trays, comb cappers, honey gates, bottling buckets, strainers, fume boards, bee escapes, and honey storage tanks.
• Honey Jars and Containers Glass and plastic honey containers including Classic glass jars (8oz to 2lb), Round pint and quart jars, Hourglass containers, Honey Bear squeeze bottles, and Muth jars. Available in bulk cases with lids.
• Bulk Honey Raw bulk honey available in 60-pound containers for commercial or large-scale beekeeping operations.
• Feeders and Bee Feed Bee feeding equipment including entrance feeders, hive top feeders (1-4 liter), deep feeders, pollen/syrup feeders, and bee feed supplements such as Amino-B-Booster, Honey B Healthy, and AP23 pollen patties.
• Foundation Beehive foundation in wax and plastic varieties. Wax foundation includes crimped wire sheets for deep, medium, and shallow frames. Plastic foundation available as Pierco snap-in sheets in black or white, including drone comb frames.
• Medications and Treatments Varroa mite and disease treatments including Apivar, Apiguard, Formic Pro, VarroxSan, Oxalic Acid, Norroa for nosema, Para-Moth, and Varroa EasyCheck testing kits. Also includes Beetle Blaster traps for hive beetles.
• Protective Wear Beekeeper protective clothing including air mesh jackets and full suits, 3-layer ultra-ventilated jackets, cotton/poly jackets and suits, Apollo brand suits and jackets, veils, helmets, gloves (goat skin and nitrile), and beekeeper pants.
• Queen Supplies Queen bee management supplies including queen marking pens (color-coded by year), queen catchers, queen grafting tools, queen cell cups, queen rearing stations, and queen castles for hive management.
• Tools and Hardware Beekeeping hand tools including hive tools, bee brushes, frame lifters and scrapers, frame grippers, wire crimpers, spur wire embedders, frame wire, nails in various sizes, hive staples, mouse guards, and Titebond wood glue.
• Swarm Traps and Lures Swarm collection equipment including Swarm Commander spray and lure products, and pre-assembled swarm traps for capturing wild bee colonies.
• Smokers and Fuel Bee smokers including 4x7 stainless steel models with shields, replacement bellows, and smoker fuel in 1lb and 5lb quantities plus 100% cotton cut-offs for producing smoke to calm bees.
• Winter Wrap Hive insulation products for winter protection including BeeGloo winter covers and Bee Cozy wraps available for 1-story and 2-story hive configurations.
• Books and Signs Beekeeping educational materials including The Backyard Beekeeper, Beekeeping For Dummies, First Time Beekeeping, Swarm Essentials, Queen Rearing Essentials, BeeCabulary Essentials, Honey Bee Diseases and Pests, and Bee Culture magazine subscriptions. Also includes promotional signs and t-shirts.
• Handmade Gifts Handmade beekeeping-themed items including bee tote bags, gnome crossbody bags, hand sanitizer holders, keychains, and lip balm holders created by the office manager.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations of $10 and above for purchasing any products from the store.

Quantifiable outcome

• Frame production efficiency significantly improved through use of custom frame machines

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mann Lake: Mann Lake is the largest beekeeping supply manufacturer and retailer in the US, selling the same woodenware, tools, medications, and beginner kits that Miller Bee Supply carries, with multi-state distribution and significantly broader scale. Directly comparable product catalog and customer base.
• Dadant & Sons: Dadant is one of the oldest and largest US beekeeping supply companies, offering a similarly comprehensive catalog of woodenware, extractors, medications, and protective equipment to hobbyist and commercial beekeepers. Same customer segments and product breadth as Miller Bee Supply.
• Betterbee: Betterbee is a New York-based beekeeping supply retailer and manufacturer that competes head-on with Miller Bee Supply across woodenware, beginner kits, and hobbyist/commercial equipment, with a similar e-commerce plus physical-store model.
• Kelley Beekeeping: Kelley Beekeeping is a long-established Kentucky-based beekeeping supply company selling woodenware, tools, and consumables to hobbyist and commercial beekeepers. Same product category and customer profile, with regional US positioning parallel to Miller's southeastern footprint.
• Brushy Mountain Bee Farm: Brushy Mountain Bee Farm is a North Carolina-rooted beekeeping supply company that historically sold woodenware and equipment with a similar regional focus to Miller Bee Supply; its operational restructuring has shifted the competitive dynamic in the southeastern US market.

Broad incumbents

• GloryBee: GloryBee is an Oregon-based honey producer and beekeeping products company with a broader portfolio spanning food ingredients, honey, and beekeeping supplies. Larger and more diversified than Miller Bee Supply, but overlapping in beekeeping equipment retail and bulk honey sales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MillerBeeSupply
• Instagraminstagram.com/millerbeesupply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Miller Bee Supply