Quinby established his beekeeping business in his early 20s. His business would eventually grow to house around 1,200 hives in the Mohawk Valley region of New York. Among his innovations in beekeeping, he is credited with the invention of the modern bee smoker with bellows, and the first practical knife to remove honeycomb caps. He is also the author of the book "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained"(1853). After his death in 1875, his son-in-law, Lyman C. Root (1840-1928) revised the book to bring it up to date and added more illustrations.