Starting a new apiary (April)
Expanding the apiary (May)
Setting up a new apiary (March 2025)
A pollen laden Italian worker bee trying to get some of the sticky stuff off her wings and legs, so she can fly back to the colony!
Preparing new bee hive boxes.
There is no magic bee suit which prevents the beekeeper [beek] from getting stung during any apiary inspection. Any sudden movement or sharp noise can change the honeybee's normal behavior and therefore, they become “actively” defensive. During the 1850's, one of Langstroth's observations focused on the fury of “defensive” honey bees. Beekeepers could unintentionally arouse their sting because of the slightest of movements. If you drop a frame of bees, then prepare yourself for the onslaught of attacks. If you blow on them with your breath, or crush them during inspections then, their temperament changes in an instant as stingers appear and swarms of defensive bees gather about you. Sounds a lot like the way we act when someone treats us with carelessness or indignity. I have personally experienced such behavior, especially while inspecting hives during honey-flows. During some inspections the beek realizes how honey bees do not like the removal of an upper brood box from the hive body, even though they need to inspect the lower one. In one instance during a honey flow, I removed the upper box for inspection and set it down on an upturned telescoping roof. Immediately, the attitude of the bees in the lower box changed from “calm” to “jittery” as suddenly they came flying out with stingers actively seeking a target- me! Consider this analogy, “You live in a two-story house and suddenly the Jolly Green Giant lifts the roof off your home while you are still inside. How would you feel?" That's right, you are upset, angry, or ready to strike out at whatever ruined your day and invaded your home.
May your journey through this site give you a better understanding of the importance of the divine connection between honey bees, humanity, the environment, and God. ZBA sells only pure and raw honey, just as it was in the honeycomb. Excess wax or bee parts are filtered out while the pollen content is maintained. We never heat, pasteurize, ultra-filtered, or diluted our honey with any other product.
What you taste is exactly how God intended it to taste- sweet to the tongue and good for the body.
Rev. David Zachary
* Lifetime Member - NC State Beekeepers Association
* NC Certified Beekeeper and Certified Honey Producer
* Board Member/Webmaster - Haywood County, NC Beekeepers Chapter
* Lifetime Member - SC State Beekeepers Association
* SC Certified Beekeeper
* Member - Spartanburg Beekeepers Association
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are excellent pollinators for the environment and without their hard work roughly a third of all food supplies would be missing from our stores. If you know a beekeeper, then thank them for what they do for the environment and to help place food on your table. Take time to plant honeybee friendly foliage and flowers around your home or business and help the bees find places of nectar and pollen.
Apiary is ready for new bees.
At ZBees Apiary, we promote beekeeping as a science by making our environment a better place. Our honey is exactly what the bees put in the comb… minus the wax for those people who do not prefer “combed honey.”
Western North Carolina (Clyde) - our remote mountain apiary location provides some great amber and dark amber honey. In addition, this honey is labeled as “Mountain Honey” to distinguish it from honey harvested in the piedmont or coastal regions of North Carolina.
South Carolina (Inman) - The apiary is located in the upstate region of South Carolina and this honey is more of floral light type and labeled as "Upstate Honey."
The Magic of Honey Bees and Pollination
Remember... to thank a beekeeper for 33% of the nuts, produce, and vegetables that are found in every grocery store and local produce market where you shop!