As the Appalachian foothills come alive with bloom and buzz, our honeybee colonies in Western North Carolina enter one of the most critical and dynamic phases of the year—late spring. At Bee. honey+hive, this season means focused, hands-on work to support the bees and ensure a strong summer harvest of raw, small-batch honey for our community and wholesale partners.
Whether you're here to learn more about ethical beekeeping practices, or you’re a chef, herbalist, or specialty grocer sourcing local honey, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we care for our hives in this vital time.
Why Late Spring Matters in Beekeeping
From mid-April through early June, honeybee colonies grow rapidly—often doubling in population. While that’s a great sign of health, it also increases the risk of swarming, which can lead to the loss of foraging bees and a dip in honey production.
For small-scale, sustainable apiaries like ours, staying ahead of the swarming cycle is crucial to preserving colony strength and ensuring enough surplus honey for our customers—both retail and wholesale.
Key Late Spring Beekeeping Practices at Bee. honey+hive
We take a proactive, low-intervention approach to sustainable beekeeping, balancing bee health with thoughtful stewardship of our land.
✔️ Regular Hive Inspections
We monitor each hive weekly for signs of overcrowding, swarm cells, and the health of the queen. Our goal is to support strong, balanced colonies that can thrive without the need for synthetic interventions.
✔️ Providing Room to Grow
When the top honey super is 80% full, we add more space to give bees room for brood rearing and nectar storage—reducing the chance of swarming.
✔️ Queen Health Check
We look for consistent egg laying and signs of vitality. If a queen is faltering, we may requeen to ensure the colony remains productive heading into summer.
Splitting Hives: A Sustainable Way to Grow
Hive splitting is one of our favorite methods for managing bee populations. It’s also how we expand our apiary sustainably.
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When to Split: Just before the main nectar flow, typically late spring in the Carolinas.
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How We Split: We carefully move 3–4 frames of brood and nurse bees into a new hive box—essentially mimicking a natural swarm.
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Aftercare: We introduce one of locally raised queen cells, or we remove the queen with the split and allow the donor colony to raise their own queen, fostering resilience and regional adaptation.
These practices allow us to grow without overloading our existing hives, and they help us keep up with the demand for our raw, local honey at markets and in retail partnerships.
Swarm Prevention Techniques We Use
Beyond splitting, we also rely on traditional techniques that respect bee instincts while promoting productivity:
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Open the Brood Nest: Place empty drawn frames between frames of brood (carefully) to give the queen more space to lay. Try not to isolate single brood frames. Called “nest expansion” or “brood nest manipulation,” this mimics natural growth and reduces swarming impulse.
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Maintain a Young, Productive Queen: Colonies with younger queens (under 1 year) are less likely to swarm.Consider requeening in late summer or early spring if the queen is aging or inconsistent.
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Remove Frames of Brood: Take out 1–2 frames of capped brood and give them to a weaker colony or a nuc. This relieves population pressure while supporting another colony’s growth.
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Close Monitoring: Early intervention prevents the loss of workforce bees during peak nectar flow.
Setting Up for Summer Honey Production
As spring turns to summer in the Blue Ridge region, we turn our focus to colony strength and honey harvesting:
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Ventilation & Shade: Our hives are positioned to stay cool in the Southern heat.
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Pest Awareness: We monitor varroa mite loads and use integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, avoiding harmful chemicals.
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Sustainable Harvesting: We begin to extract raw honey while always leaving enough for the bees.
What This Means for You
Whether you're a neighbor picking up a jar of raw wildflower honey or a business looking to offer ethical, eco-conscious local honey, our methods ensure that every jar of Bee. honey+hive reflects:
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Ethical beekeeping rooted in Western NC small farms
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Eco-friendly practices that prioritize bee and planet health
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A commitment to community resilience and transparency
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High-quality, unfiltered raw honey that’s never blended or compromised
By choosing Bee. honey+hive—whether for your pantry or your storefront—you’re supporting a sustainable food system, pollinator conservation, and the future of local agriculture.
Want to partner with us? We love collaborating with like-minded retailers, co-ops, and farm-to-table businesses.
