The Buzzing Partnership Between Mississippi Farmers and Beekeepers

It’s no secret that honey bees are essential to the agriculture industry. After all, close to 100 crop species benefit from pollination by these small creatures, and it’s estimated that one in three bites of food is dependent on the work of honey bees.

Honey bees are especially important in Mississippi, but it’s not just because of their pollination powers. In fact, the state’s major row crops – soybeans, corn and cotton – do not require honey bees for pollination. However, these insects are responsible for the state’s thriving honey sector and bolster many fruit and vegetable operations, and as a result, Mississippi growers and beekeepers are working together to ensure hives stay healthy and productive.

Beekeeping, Honey Production Support Mississippi Economy

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Mississippi lays claim to between 15,000 and 20,000 honey-producing colonies, with each colony yielding an average of 80 pounds of honey each year, and the state’s total value of honey production is $1.88 million annually.

In addition, Mississippi is home to nearly 35 commercial beekeepers – defined as individuals or families whose primary source of income is derived from honey production and related sales – and thanks to the state’s mild climate, it’s common for beekeepers who live in northern states to bring their colonies to Mississippi for the winter.

“Commercial beekeepers from states like North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan often transport between 8,000 and 10,000 honey bee colonies to Mississippi, especially near the I-10 corridor in the southern part of the state, once cold weather hits because their bees do much better down here,” says Dr. Jeff Harris, associate professor of apiculture at Mississippi State University. “Our spring comes early compared to places up north, and we have blooms coming in full force by the middle of March in South Mississippi. It’s a perfect environment for explosive bee growth, and that’s why so many honey producers like to come here.”

Many of the state’s resident commercial beekeepers and honey producers are based in South Mississippi, too, including Austin Smith of Smith Honey Farm in Petal. Alongside his father, Smith manages 1,300 honey bee colonies and produces all-natural honey and beeswax products, and he regularly provides bees for pollination at area farms.

“When you go to the grocery store and buy produce – watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, zucchini and squash, for example – you have pollinators to thank, and that obviously includes honey bees, so they’re very important when it comes to keeping our diets as varied and delicious as we like them to be,” Smith says. “On the financial side, there’s no doubt that Mississippi’s commercial beekeepers play a big role in supporting the state’s economy, primarily through our honey sales to grocery stores, restaurants and directly to consumers. In short, our impact is significant.”

Mississippi Organizations Connect the State’s Farmers and Beekeepers

Although honey is an important agricultural commodity to Mississippi and many of the state’s growers benefit from honey bee pollination, there has been a disconnect between farmers and beekeepers in the past. That’s changing quickly.

According to Harris, the state’s honey bees have been at risk of developing health issues or dying in the past due to the pesticides used on crops – often unbeknownst to growers – so in an effort to bring beekeepers and farmers together and create a plan to protect honey bees, the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation helped establish the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program.

“Several agricultural organizations and stakeholders collaborated with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation to make the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program a reality, such as the Mississippi Beekeepers Association, Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce, and Mississippi State University Extension Service,” Dr. Harris says. “The idea was to bring everyone together, including row crop farmers, pesticide applicators, crop consultants and beekeepers, and to increase the dialogue and come up with smart solutions for boosting the honey bee population that would serve everyone.”

Launched in 2014, the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program encourages farmers and beekeepers to foster a strong level of communication with each other throughout any cooperative arrangement. Additionally, beekeepers participating in the program are asked to use a flagging system to clearly indicate hive locations to help ensure harmful pesticides are not applied to crops nearby. Conceptualized by the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, the black and yellow “Bee Aware” flags are designed to be highly visible to both ground and aerial pesticide applicators.

“The program has worked well so far,” Dr. Harris says. “Since it’s been established, we’ve only had a small number of bees killed from pesticides across the state, and the cooperation between farmers and beekeepers has been incredible – that’s certainly been key to the program’s success.”