The goal of the Apiculture and Pollinator Program is to incorporate teaching and interaction with pollinators into all of the agricultural pathways at John de la Howe.

This will provide each student an opportunity to experience the impact that pollinators have on their specific area of focus, and as a result, develop a principled approach to protecting and sustaining them. More in-depth instruction and certification are provided to those students selecting Apiculture and/or Pollinators as their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). 

Managed honey bee colonies are used as the primary tool of instruction due to the ability to better interact with them over other pollinators. However, instruction is not limited to just this one type of pollinator.  Attention is also given to natural habitats for native bees, butterflies, bats, and birds – all playing various roles in the overall pollination process.   

Six honey bee colonies were established on the campus in Spring 2024.  Current plans are on track to increase the number of colonies to 20 in Spring 2025 to best serve the needs of the bees and the students. 

Bees are managed, but wild, requiring careful management of not being over-disturbed in a teaching environment.  They need to be allowed to do their work with minimal interruption.  Having an apiary of 20 colonies will allow weekly interaction for all students without causing undue stress on the bees. 

As the bees work to pollinate, they will also collect nectar – the wonderful reward for their pollination services.  A well-managed honey bee colony can easily produce a surplus of between 30 to 60 pounds of honey per year.  Multiplied by 20 colonies, that could easily be 1,200 pounds of honey each year!   

Club APIS was established in 2024 to support students and members of the community interested in learning more about our valued pollinators and honey bees.  Each monthly meeting will feature a guest speaker or a fieldwork activity.

Club Apris meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. in the Apiculture Classroom at the Education Center. Meeting dates for 2025 are January 28, February 25, March 25 and April 29.

A generous grant by Duke Energy has funded the Apiculture Program expansion to include the addition of a Certified Honey House on the John de la Howe campus. This will permit the students to not only interact with the bees, but also harvest, bottle, label, and market this product of the hive – bringing the experience full circle.  Learning through this process will prove invaluable to the students as they develop their own agricultural endeavors, impact their communities, and strengthen South Carolina agriculture.   

Office Phone: 864-391-0516

Mobile Phone: 864-430-3393

Email: susan.jones@delahowe.sc.gov

Our bees are flying with purpose, bringing in pollen from a variety of sources as our landscape is slowly awakening from the winter slumber.  The red maple bloom is the first visible sign that spring is on its way.  Nectar is still scarce, so monitoring the colonies for honey stores is imperative to prevent colonies from starving, supplementing them with sugar syrup as necessary. The queens are gradually laying more and more eggs, expanding the brood area and increasing the colony population in anticipation of the spring nectar flow.   

The Apiculture Classroom is a hub of activity! Our students are building, painting, and preparing equipment to install 12 more colonies on campus at the end of March/first of April.  Additionally, 13 of our students are in training to become Certified Level Beekeepers through the SC Master Beekeeper Program.  

Clemson University Apiculture

Clemson Apiary Inspection

SCDA Honey Regulations

S.C. Beekeepers Association

Shady Creek Bee Farm - Donalds, S.C.

Johnson's Bees & Supplies - Williston, S.C.