A 13-year-old beekeeper started his own honey business while his parents were incarcerated

At just 13 years old, Keith Griffith III is a successful beekeeper and business owner. When both his parents were incarcerated, the teen turned to beekeeping to help him get through the challenging period of time. With a little help from his uncle, he was able to turn his hobby into a thriving business. The business has since been incorporated under the name Beeing2gether. In addition to selling his honey at local grocery stores in Kentucky, Griffith sells his merchandise online. He hopes to raise enough funds to go to a private high school in the future, Good Morning America reports.

The teenager first learned about beekeeping from his uncle. They spent a lot of time together when his parents were incarcerated. "It got my mind off of what was going on," Griffith explained in an interview with Good Morning America. "And I started really enjoying it, and I started really learning a lot." His mom has since been released from prison and is incredibly proud of everything his son has been able to achieve while she was away. She is also happy he was able to find his passion. She affirmed, "I appreciate everything, and I appreciate you being yourself."

Griffith and his parents have even co-written a book together about beekeeping and mental health. The young beekeeper shared, "I started writing it and my parents helped me out. The book is about beekeeping, beekeeping tips, what you can do when you first start, and different species of bees." The underlying message of the book is to find something new to do that readers enjoy, something that can help "clear their mind out." While beekeeping is quite a niche interest, it benefits us all as bees are an important part of our natural ecosystem. Griffith is therefore helping the earth as well as his community.

Beeing2gether currently raises and breeds their own bees. They have a flagship hive in Louisville, Kentucky, in addition to several others located within inner-city limits. They also partner with local beekeepers and farmers throughout the state to provide raw and authentic honey to grocery stores. You can also purchase their honey online through their website. While they, of course, sell their honey, they also sell merchandise like honey dippers and special gift boxes. Should you be interested, you can even donate to Griffith's school fund so he can meet his goal of receiving a higher quality education.

Though some people may believe beekeeping and honey harvesting is unethical, the practice actually helps sustain bee populations. Bees are the world's most important pollinator of food crops. In fact, about a third of all the food we consume directly relies on pollination mainly by bees. Therefore, encouraging beekeeping is a way to ensure our bee populations do not die out at a time when they are under threat. Even if you do not start your own hives as Griffith has, you can help bees by filling your garden with bee-friendly flowers, providing shelter for bees, and helping tired bees by providing them with sugar water. Let us take a leaf out of the young beekeeper's book and do our part!