WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — Honeybee hives across the county recently experienced the second highest death rate on record, according to a new survey by the University of Maryland and Auburn University. Fortunately, one beekeeper in Wake County says things were not as bad in North Carolina, thanks to a few specific practices.

What You Need To Know

  • Honeybee hives across the county recently experienced the second highest death rate on record

  • Scientists say parasites, pesticides, starvation and climate change are some of the main contributing factors

  • One Wake County beekeeper says things were not as bad in North Carolina thanks to a few specific practices

Gordon Goeking started beekeeping as a way to help his garden at home, and it’s now a true passion.

“It's given me a great appreciation. Part of the world God's created are the honeybees and they're such incredible insects,” Gordon Goeking, the secretary of Wake County Beekeepers Association, Inc., said.

“Tried to do some self-pollination, which worked, but I go, ‘That's very tedious.’ So I said, ‘I need some pollinators.’ So I went out and said, ‘I need some honey bees,’” Goeking said. “It's good therapy. My wife goes, ‘You spend a lot of money on beekeeping.’ I go, ‘Yeah, but it's cheap therapy.’”

Aside from his personal hives, he also spends time managing the hives at the N.C. State JC Raulston Arboretum.

“We do an integrated pest management process here, which is just for each pest you set a level and once that hive gets above that level, you treat for that pest,” Goeking said.

A recent survey by the University of Maryland and Auburn University found 48% of honeybee colonies were lost between April 2022 and April 2023. Scientists say parasites, pesticides, starvation and climate change are some of the main contributing factors.

“North Carolina had a 30.7% in that. So we were lower, and we were attribute that to a very active state bee association as well as a local chapter,” Goeking said. “It’s tough to predict from year to year. That's why we tell the beekeepers just to stay on top of your bees and make sure your knowledge of how they're doing is current.”

Goeking says beekeeping groups offer constant training and education, because pest management techniques and general best practices change over time.

“You can't get too prideful in this business. You got to stay humble and always focus on what you're trying to do, which is in this case, have healthy bees and then also get a fair amount of honey out of them,” Goeking said.

While he says the death rates are concerning, he also believes honeybees are resilient, adding that we should all try to help them thrive so they can help us.

“If we don't show the respect for them as we should, as keepers of the Earth, then we could have more severe problems down the road,” Goeking said.

Goeking also says beekeepers across the state are trying to raise queen bees locally instead of getting them from other states because it helps with their vitality.

As for something you can do at home to help the honeybees, Goeking tells people to be careful with pesticides they use outside. He recommends using granules, instead of sprays, and applying it at night.