North Carolina is the No. 10 Best State for Beekeeping

By
Charlotte Stories
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Gardens across the U.S. are buzzing with hobbyist and professional beekeepers.

But the location of your colony can sweeten or sour your beekeeping journey.

To mark National Pollinator Week beginning June 20, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Best States for Beekeeping.

How does North Carolina stack up?

North Carolina’s Rank in Some Key Metrics (1st = Best)
  • Average Annual Colony Loss – 8th
  • Average Price per Pound of Honey – 2nd
  • Number of Farmers Markets Offering Honey – 5th
  • Number of Beekeepers Associations – 1st
Overall Rank (1=Best)

State

Overall Score

Output Rank

Earning Potential Rank

Establishments Rank

Support Rank
1 California 50.17 3 5 1 1
2 New York 44.52 16 1 2 2
3 North Dakota 42.96 1 3 38 37
4 Florida 36.05 2 17 11 14
5 Texas 34.96 5 13 7 16
6 Ohio 33.51 15 20 3 5
7 Michigan 33.47 11 15 4 20
8 Washington 33.24 12 4 12 10
9 Virginia 33.19 26 2 9 8
10 North Carolina 32.02 20 7 8 7
11 Minnesota 30.65 6 12 14 32
12 Wisconsin 29.01 9 27 6 26
13 Pennsylvania 27.47 30 19 5 15
14 Tennessee 26.89 14 11 16 9
15 Indiana 26.49 10 25 15 21
16 Oregon 25.18 13 24 13 29
17 Illinois 25.05 36 6 10 24
18 New Jersey 25.04 28 9 18 3
19 Missouri 23.87 18 16 20 19
20 Georgia 23.37 22 20 17 17
21 Montana 22.89 7 33 30 28
22 South Dakota 22.16 4 18 35 37
23 Kentucky 22.06 21 23 22 12
24 South Carolina 21.61 17 10 28 23
25 Alabama 21.06 25 8 27 21
26 Colorado 20.92 34 14 19 13
27 West Virginia 20.22 23 22 26 10
28 Maine 19.32 29 28 23 4
29 Hawaii 18.11 8 31 34 36
30 Iowa 16.57 33 30 21 30
31 Idaho 16.54 19 38 29 32
32 Mississippi 13.68 24 39 39 18
33 Arkansas 13.57 27 40 33 25
34 Kansas 12.9 35 36 25 34
35 Vermont 12.84 39 29 24 6
36 Louisiana 11.97 32 32 37 27
37 Wyoming 9.75 31 37 40 37
38 Arizona 9.55 40 26 31 34
39 Utah 9.37 38 34 32 30
40 Nebraska 8.57 37 35 36 37

 

To come up with our ranking, they looked at several metrics, such as total honey production, number of active bee colonies, beekeepers’ salaries, and honey suppliers. They also considered colony losses and whether the state protects honeybees from harmful neonics.

You can see the entire ranking and analysis here: https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-states-for-beekeeping/

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