Environmental Studies on the Piedmont (ES) keeps European honeybees, Apis mellifera with several goals in mind:  To research competition of the European Honeybee with our native bee pollinators, for education, to demonstrate sustainable agriculture, and as a fundraising project. 

Eagle Apiary at Dawn

In 2003,  ES's Founder and Director Emeritus, Dr. William J. L. Sladen, long a proponent of sustainable agriculture and local food sourcing, provided the impetus and funds to acquire two nucs and the necessary equipment for nine hives.  The two nucs were transferred to regular 10-frame hives and located at the ES Field Station.  Throughout the year they became very strong colonies and both units survived the winter. For the next three years, our extensively experienced apiarist and wildlife biologist, German Perilla, maintained ten hives with zero hive losses over the winter and ESA started holding small beekeeping workshops. 
 
In 2006, ES's incoming Director, Dr. Thomas C. Wood, especially wanting to strengthen the educational potential of the bee project, endorsed German's recommendations to expand both our apiculture efforts and research studies of native bee pollinators, seeking to realize the powerful educational potential of sustainable apiculture by

• Showing the relationship between pollinators and plants;
• Showing the importance of pollinators as a conservation tool;
• Modeling the best possible chemical free management of honeybees;
• Modeling a profitable, sustainable agriculture project to produce natural uncontaminated hive products; and by
• Providing academic project investigations for K-12 students as well as university undergraduates and graduates, that add to understanding of pollinator ecology (for the younger students) and add to the scientific body of knowledge (for older students).

ES currently has 40 hives in three apiaries:  Eagle, Nursery Pond and ES Field Station, with plans of eventual expansion up to 300 hives in ten apiaries.  Seasonally available, ES's honey may be purchased by emailing us at es@iapm.org or calling 540-349-3331.

Native Bee Research

ES Honeybees