Tennessee Sees Increase in Beekeeping Amidst COVID

During a year at home, many people took up new hobbies or interests, including beekeeping.

Cumberland County Beekeepers Association President Jeremy Shoemaker said he thinks it came from a desire to get back to basics and homesteading.

“People really got into beekeeping that way and wanting to do things themselves because of the supply chain problems and that sort of thing,” Shoemaker said. “So yeah we’ve had a lot of interest in beekeeping, and we need beekeepers.”

Beekeeping can cost up to $600 in fees for education, equipment, and the honeybees themselves. In addition, Tennessee has some regulations when it comes to starting colonies. The state requires all new colonies be registered with the Department of Agriculture, and that all hives have movable frames.

Shoemaker said the biggest challenge Tennessee beekeepers have to overcome is the varroa mite, an invasive parasite that weakens the bees’ immune system. Another issue is an overwhelming amount of inconsistent resources. Shoemaker said that his biggest piece of advice to new beekeepers is to join an organization and find a mentor.

Shoemaker said beekeeping can be an intense hobby which he compares to farming–you have to keep track of weather, what plants are in bloom, what nectar sources the bees have, and anything else that could effect them.

“I joke with people that it’s a never-ending science project,” Shoemaker said. “It’s always a learning experience any time you get into a hive.”

Shoemaker said the best part of the hobby is that he gets a chance to slow down and take note of the world around him.