Submit an ad Subscribe Ag Review Staff Feature Stories Honeybees important to N.C. agriculture Agricultural production relies on a number of elements for a successful growing year. But bee pollination is one of the easiest components to overlook in the successful production of most crops. Let me explain it like this, said Don Hopkins, N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services state apiarist, about every third bite of food you eat is a result of bee pollination. Plants require pollination to produce fruits and vegetables and honeybees are one insect that can be kept and managed for pollination purposes.
Many beekeepers lease their bees to farmers for pollination purposes.
With so much riding on the work of honey bees, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services employs six inspectors to monitor bee health, regulate movement of bees and bee-related equipment and oversee regulations designed to ensure there are enough bees in the state for pollination purposes. While there continues to be good interest in beekeeping in the state, apiary officials indicate the number of bee colonies in North Carolina have actually dropped in the past few years. An estimated 120,000 colonies exist in the state, which is down from a high of 180,000 in the early 1980s. One reason for the decline is that North Carolina, like many southeastern states, has seen a number of pests, diseases and bacteria destroy hives and kill bees. The Small Hive Beetle and the Varrora mite are two examples of pests that have plagued North Carolina hives in recent years.