Believe it or not, beekeeping is for everyone—and delivers sweet rewards all around
No, you don’t need to rock the white mesh astronaut suit to keep backyard bees—but if you get stung by the obsession bug, make room in your wardrobe (and your yard). Beekeeping, a hobby that is notorious for completely transfixing those who try it, pays off in more than liquid gold.
“From the first time I opened up a hive, I was absolutely hooked,” admits Susan Gardner of the Carolina Honey Bee Company. “You’re seeing a whole community inside: the bees are gathering and storing pollen and nectar, tending the queen, feeding the baby bees, fanning the hive to keep it at the right temperature . . . it was the coolest thing.”
Straight from the Source
Gardner started out as a hobbyist, but soon found herself following her passion for bees into a successful business venture. “I’ve got this philosophy of ‘some is good, more is better,’ so I just kept increasing the number of hives I had, up to about thirty at my home . . . I think my neighbors were a little surprised,” she laughs. “I put a sign out in my front yard that I had local honey for sale and ran out in two weekends. From there, another beekeeper, Tim Dover, and I ended up joining forces and starting our business on a whim,” she reflects, noting her two Travelers Rest storefronts. “I didn’t think we’d have that many customers at first, but as it turns out, the beekeeping community in the Upstate is huge. Everyone is interested in raw, local honey and helping pollinators. We also teach classes and do house calls, where new beekeepers can “rent” one of our experts to swing by and help. It’s such a great job—I love the work that we do.”
A Buzzing Community
Aside from the sweet perks, Gardner believes a focus on becoming more self-sufficient—especially coming out of a pandemic, when we all spent more time at home than usual—is driving the growth of the beekeeping community. “You might be surprised how many beehives are already all around you, tucked into backyards right around the corner,” she says. “I started with bees about fifteen years ago, and since then, we’ve had a huge influx of new enthusiasts—especially women and younger people. That’s due in large part to people realizing that you can keep bees anywhere—apartment balconies, rooftops, small yards, or gardens—as well as a growing interest in homesteading. It’s really fun, and it’s definitely something a whole family can do. Kids can learn about running a business, animal care, seasonal plants.”
Looking to tap this hive of hobbyists? Gardner recommends joining a group or club to connect with experts and meet fellow aficionados. “The coolest thing about this community is that such a wide variety of people are beekeepers. We have surgeons, farmstead owners, schoolteachers, teenagers—people from all different income and education levels, across all walks of life . . . at these meetings. They’re all friends who share the same interest and share information. It’s really neat.”
Beekeeping Produces Sold Gold Superfood
As for health benefits, honey gets gold stars all around. “Local honey is amazingly good for you,” enthuses Gardner. “It has all kinds of natural enzymes that are beneficial to your body and your microbiome, as well as pollen in it from your local environment. In fact, some doctors even recommend that you eat local honey every day to help combat seasonal allergies—and in this area, where pollen season is a pain, that’s huge.” Plus, for those with diet limitations, it can make a great natural substitute for traditional sweeteners. “We have a lot of clients with sugar intolerance who substitute honey for commercial sweeteners; their body is better able to handle it.”
The reasons to wear the white suit don’t end in the kitchen, either. “There are so many uses for honey that people might not realize,” Gardner notes. “Because honey is naturally antibacterial and antifungal, it’s often used for skincare. If you have acne or other inflammation issues, you can wash your face with honey. It sounds crazy, because you’d think it’d be sticky, but it rinses off really well. They use honey in hospitals for burn treatments, too, because of those antibacterial properties.”
Origin is Everything
That roadside sign for local honey you just passed? It’s the best ingredient label around. “We have a huge influx of ‘funny honey’ coming into the U.S. right now,” reveals Gardener. “The biggest violator is China, where they’re cutting their honey with rice syrup, and often sending it through Vietnam and India to sidestep tariffs. That honey has been super-heated, which kills all of the natural enzymes, and then they push it through a ceramic filter that eliminates the pollen—so essentially, you’re just getting a sweetener, with none of the good stuff. So when you see a [plastic] bear of honey for $4 at the grocery store, know that it’s an over-processed, pasteurized, and filtered product. Trust me, you don’t want that,” she insists. “Here’s a tip: look at the country of origin (where the honey is coming from), and avoid anything out of China, Vietnam, or India, and buy from your local beekeeper instead. Through that small act, you’ll not only be supporting both a local farmer and your community, but it’ll be healthier for you.”
If you’re a strictly organic shopper, note that honey produced in the U.S. can’t be called organic. “The reason is surprisingly simple: we have no way to control where our bees go, and those bees will travel up to five miles to find pollen,” explains Gardner. “So even if my farm is treated organically (without the use of pesticides), our bees might be foraging at a commercial property down the road that does use chemicals. So if you see honey that is labeled ‘organic,’ it’s likely imported from Brazil.”
Gold Mine of Honey
If you needed yet another great reason to pick up this rewarding hobby, know that we’re fortunate to live in the perfect environment for beekeeping.
“The Upstate is such a unique area for this,” says Gardner. “Bees make an incredible wildflower honey here in Greenville that uses, surprisingly, nectar from our tulip poplar and holly trees, not flowers. And if you go just north of Highway 11, there are sourwood trees that make nectar. A lot of the beekeepers in our area will load up their hives in the summer and head toward the state line to make a second crop of honey—that’s something you can’t do just anywhere. All of these varietals of honey taste totally different and unique.” Gardner insists that once you taste one, you’ll want to try more. It’s all part of the fun of the hobby, and the reason she runs tastings out of her Main Street storefront.
And with 800 to 1,000 hives, she knows how wildly different honey can be. “We borrow farm property to keep them on. Anyone who has a hayfield that is open to us setting a hive out on the edge, we do just that, and we trade honey in exchange for the space. It’s a good partnership—the bees don’t damage the property, and we service the hive for the landowner . . . the most they’ll ever see are some tire tracks, but they get honey to keep or gift to others,” explains Gardner, who recognizes that it’s an easy way for her clients to make a positive impact on the pollinator population.
“We also have a service called Management Bees. We have customers who want to have hives at their house, either to aid the environment or because they have gardens and they want local honey, but they aren’t willing to spend the time and effort to tend the hives themselves. They purchase the bees and equipment, and for $50 per month, our experts come out and care for the hives as needed, feeding the bees, checking for mites, harvesting and packaging the honey.”
All over the U.S., we’re seeing a decline in pollinators—so by bringing bees into your area, you’re providing pollination not only for yourself, but for your whole neighborhood. “And beekeeping really isn’t much work,” insists Gardner. “People tend to want to be in their beehives more than they need to be—surely because it’s fun—but just to have a couple of hives in your yard, you’re only looking at maybe twenty minutes every other week, plus a couple of hours to harvest the honey.” Sounds like a sweet deal to us.
Buzz-Worthy Beekeeping Stats
5 miles – The distance bees travel from the hive to forage for pollen
Antibacterial + antifungal – Medicinal properties of raw honey
15–30 hours a year – Average time spent tending to a single hive
3–6 gallons – Average amount of honey produced by one hive each year
Beekeeping Myths
You’ll get stung. | Actually, the odds are low. Why? Because bees fly up and out from the hive and are gone for most of the day before returning at night.
You need a lot of land. | Not true: you can keep bees in small outdoor spaces. Hives only need about five feet of space on either side, and three feet in between.
It’s time-consuming. | You don’t need much time. Just twenty minutes of tending every other week, plus two hours to harvest the honey will do it.
You need a big garden. | Bees travel for miles around to source their food, so you don’t need to worry about how many plants you have.
It’s expensive. | On average, you’re looking at an initial investment of about $760 for a hive, bees, and supplies—but the rewards pay off for years.
Favorite Foods
Wondering what to plant to keep bees happy and boost honey production? Try these varietals that grow well in the Carolinas:
- Mint, lemon balm, bee balm, lavender
- Clover and other ground covers
- Brassicas like turnip greens and broccoli
- Sunflowers and zinnias
- Fruit trees such as apple and peach
- Borage and tansy
- Goldenrod and milkweed
The Carolina Honey Bee Company, 10 S. Main St and 14 Center St, Travelers Rest. (864) 610-2337, carolinabeeco.com. With two locations—the Main Street shop for giftware and honey, and the Center Street store for beekeeping supplies—this local shop is the perfect place to start.
