BeeAttitudes Apiary

09/15/2026

Primal Bee inspection in anticipation of the Fall Flow.

09/13/2026

The Goldenrod is blooming!

07/31/2026

The girls are really enjoying the abundant nectar from my Hoya plant this morning.

07/16/2026

I collect rare or superior honey from other beekeepers and here’s one I just acquired. I can’t wait to try it.

Don't miss your chance to try our 2026 crop of Purple Honey. This super rare variety is only found in and around the Sandhills of NC. No one knows where the bees find it, but we're excited to have it and share it with you. Purple honey is packaged in glass hex jars containing 2 oz of honey b...

07/16/2026

Yummy watermelon blossoms!

07/12/2026

Check this out!

Ongoing research reveals that multifloral honey is a promising candidate for protecting human skin cells from premature ageing and cell damage caused by UV radiation, with the potential for developing future clinical and cosmetic applications.

07/03/2026

After having time to reflect on Honey Harvest 2026, it was, without a doubt, the worst season I’ve experienced in more than two decades of beekeeping.

Here in our area, a drought arrived just as the clover flow began. White clover (Trifolium repens) has historically been one of the largest contributors to my honey. Based on pollen analysis from Texas A&M University’s Palynology Lab and DNA floral-source analysis from Tennessee Technological University, clover often accounts for more than 40% of my honey’s floral composition. The remainder is a blend of dozens of other nectar sources—grape, blackberry, holly, dogwood, apple, dandelion, poison ivy, crape myrtle, oregano, cucumber, and MANY more.

Most beekeepers would say that poor honey yields during a drought simply can’t be avoided.

For most of my beekeeping years, I have believed that too.

But after reviewing this year’s harvest data, one colony stood out. While many of my overwintered hives produced only 6–8 pounds of surplus honey, one colony produced 16 pounds—and it wasn’t even an overwintered hive. It was a swarm that moved in this spring.

Why such a dramatic difference?

I can’t say for certain, but one factor stands out: this swarm was housed in an insulated hive from Primal Bee. With an insulation value of approximately R-50, the colony may have been able to spend less energy regulating hive temperature and more time raising brood and foraging for nectar and pollen.

One season doesn’t prove a hypothesis, but it certainly gives me hope for a fall honey harvest—and even bigger hopes for what this colony might accomplish as a fully established hive during Honey Harvest 2027.

06/28/2026

Looks like the drought affected a large number of the US beekeepers in the south and mideast. The majority of us do not qualify for federal assistance as most beekeepers are not large operations like the one they interviewed for this segment.

Triad beekeepers seeing record-low honey production as bees weather...

06/18/2026

I’m truly impressed, in spite of a poor harvest this year, not only did a new swarm in my new Primal Bee Nest hive thrive, they produced 16lbs of excess honey to harvest when many of the established hives did not. Honey on left is a light amber from this year compared to last year’s amber reserve.

06/12/2026

To all of our bee and honey-loving friends:

Many of you have been asking when this year’s honey will be available. Unfortunately, the prolonged lack of rain during our spring clover flow, which contributes up to 45% of the honey’s make up, has greatly reduced nectar production. As a result, this year’s harvest was the smallest we’ve ever seen.

As I’ve shared before, our bees and honey are first and foremost for our family’s use. Any surplus we have is offered for sale as a way to offset a small portion of the time, effort, and expense that goes into caring for the bees and producing high-quality local honey.

This year, there simply wasn’t enough beyond our family’s needs to offer honey for sale.

While we’re disappointed not to have enough to share, we’re grateful that our bees are healthy and continuing to thrive. Beekeeping teaches patience, and every season is different, sometimes there is abundance, and other times not. We expectantly look forward to a better honey flow next year…who knows maybe a fall harvest!

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and understanding. Your appreciation for our bees and their honey means more than you know.

Jason of BeeAttitudes