There are over 200,000 beekeepers in the United States. Every state has honeybees, even Alaska!
Scroll down to find out more about honey, bees, and beekeeping in your state. They are listed alphabetically.
ALABAMA: One of the main varieties of honey in Alabama is Gallberry honey, which is very slow to granulate (turn to crystals).
ALASKA: Russian settlers first brought the honeybee to Alaska in 1809. Even though they have very short summers, the bees pollinate flowers like fireweed.
ARIZONA: Beekeepers in Arizona and the Southwest have to deal with Africanized Honeybees, a race of bee that was imported from Africa. There is a research lab to study Africanized honeybees that are more aggressive than European honeybees.
ARKANSAS: Soybeans in Arkansas reach higher yields with honeybee pollination. Beekeepers also extract soybean honey after the bloom.
CALIFORNIA: Over half of the hives in the United States are taken to California for pollination of the almond crop in February. California is also a top-5 honey producing state!
COLORADO: There are about 100 commercial beekeepers in Colorado.
CONNECTICUT: Apples, pears, and peaches are just three crops that need honeybee pollination in Connecticut.
DELAWARE: Pickles are big business in Delaware! Each cucumber blossom (cucumbers are made into pickles) requires 7 to 10 visits from a honeybee.
FLORIDA: In Florida, tupelo honey grown in the swamps of the Panhandle is considered a world-class specialty honey. Honeybees also pollinate all of the Florida citrus crops.
GEORGIA: As one of the largest producers of cotton, Georgia knows that honeybees are even important in pollinating the plants we use for jeans and t-shirts!
HAWAII: The first successful hive in Hawaii was shipped to the islands in 1857. Before that, people had tried to send honeybees, but the high tropical temperatures melted the beeswax honeycombs!
IDAHO: There are around 90,000 beehives in Idaho. Some of them keep their bees in cool dark potato storage cellars during the coldest winter months.
ILLINOIS: One of the "fathers of American beekeeping", Charles Dadant moved to Illinois and began the beekeeping supply company, Dadant and Sons. That company also published the American Bee Journal, a magazine for beekeepers to keep updated on news.
INDIANA: This is where the Honey Queen is from! Indiana has approximately 1,000 hobby beekeepers like Lisa. Most beekeepers extract clover and wildflower honey, but there is spearmint honey in Northern Indiana. (No, it doesn't taste minty, the oil that is used for flavoring is in the leaves, not the flowers).
IOWA: Around the country, you can find Sue Bee Honey in grocerystores. The headquarters is in Sioux City, Iowa. This company also sells their honey in 40 other countries around the world! (Check out their *Encylco"bee"dia* for honey facts)
KANSAS: Kansas is the sunflower state! Sunflowers need honeybee pollination.
KENTUCKY: In Kentucky, there is a project to plant sourwood (a very good honey plant that grows in the Appalachian mountains) on old coal mines. This helps both the environment and local beekepeers. Also, one of the first books many beekeepers read is "How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey" by Walter T. Kelley of Clarksville, Kentucky. The company he founded in 1926 sells beehives and equipment.
LOUSIANA: Beekeepers in the swampy areas of Lousiana sometimes keep their bees on rafts. The first migratory beekeeper tried to go to New Orleans on a Mississippi River barge.
MAINE: Blueberries are one of the crops that honeybees pollinate in Maine. Many beekeepers from around the country take their hives there in the summertime.
MARYLAND: In Maryland and much of the Northeast, beekeepers have to protect their honeybees from black bears that try to eat honey and brood.
MASSACHUSETTS: The largest honey show in North America takes place at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts.
MICHIGAN: Michigan apples need honeybee pollination. If your apple is crisp and round and has seven or more seeds, then honeybees pollinated it!
MINNESOTA: Minnesota is all about beekeeping! This northern state is home to one of the most famous "bee labs" and also Mann Lake, a beekeeping supply company. Beekeepers in Minnesota raise big crops of honey because of the longer daylight hours during the summer so the bees can work longer at bloom time. Minnesota has 2000 beekeepers and is one of the top ten honey states especially known for its light-colored clover honey.
MISSISSIPPI: Many beekeepers take their hives to Mississippi and other Southern states during the wintertime. This is so they have hives with lots of bees and pollen to take back in the spring.
MISSOURI: Crops such as melons and pumpkins need pollinated by the honeybee.
MONTANA: Montana is a top-5 honey producing state. Many Montana beekeepers move their hives to California for the wintertime.
NEBRASKA: In Nebraska, researchers study honey diseases, pests, and chemicals. Dr. Marion Ellis and other bee researchers are an important part of the beekeeping industry and help beekeepers with problems in their hives.
NEVADA: Despite the hot, dry climate, honeybees continue to make honey. Alfalfa and sage are both very light, mild honey varieties.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Buckwheat honey, which can be found in New Hampshire, is one of the darkest and strongest varieties of honey.
NEW JERSEY: Do you like to carve a jack-o-lantern for Halloween? Pumpkins are just one of the crops that honeybees pollinate in New Jersey.
NEW MEXICO: Mesquite is a specialty honey from New Mexico and other dry areas. The honey has a slightly smoky smell and flavor.
NEW YORK: Hobby beekeepers in New York City often keep their honeybees on rooftops! This allows the bees to pollinate plants in the city. Out of the city, near the Adirondack mountains, Betterbee sells equipment to both smale-scale and commercial beekeeprs.
NORTH CAROLINA: According to their website, North Carolina has the most beekeepers with around 10,000 people taking care of honeybees. Many of these beekeepers buy their supplies from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm!
NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota is the top honey-producing state. Most of their honey is clover (most popular honey in the USA), a very light and mild honey.
OHIO: The "Father of American Beekeeping", Lorenzo Langstroth did most of his research in Ohio in the 1850-60's. Learn more about beekeeping history here. Also, candles made out of beeswax for churches and homes are sold at the A.I. Root Company in Medina, Ohio.
OKLAHOMA: The honeybee is Oklahoma's state insect. (Several states have it as their insect- find out if your state does too!)
OREGON: Having bees in the area was very important to the first citizens of Oregon. A settler offered $500 to whoever could bring bees to the Oregon Territory in 1846.
PENNSYLVANIA: This state has approximately 40,000 honeybee hives that are used to pollinate crops both within the state and in surrounding states.
RHODE ISLAND: In the smallest state in the US, there is a growing interest in hobby beekeeping. People keep bees to help raise yields for their gardens.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Watermelons, cantaloupes, and muskmelons in South Carolina are one of the many crops that honeybees pollinate.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Ranked #2 in honey production, many beekeepers head to South Dakota during the summer months to make clover honey.
TENNESSEE: Tennessee is known for its sourwood honey. Like any honey variety, this means that the honeybees visit sourwood (it's a tree) flowers, and use that nectar to make honey. Beekeepers extract the honey right after those flowers get done blooming.
TEXAS: Women have been involved in beekeeping for many years. In Texas, a woman beekeeper published one of the first magazines about bee diseases and managment.
UTAH: Utah is the beehive state! It has this name because the first settlers of Utah admired the honeybees for their hard work.
VERMONT: Honeybees help dairy cows in Vermont and other places around the country! The main feed for dairy cows is a plant called alfalfa; alfalfa is pollinted by honeybees. This means that we wouldn't have ice cream, yogurt, or milk without the honeybee.
VIRGINIA: The first president, George Washington had beehives at his Mount Vernon home in Virginia.
WASHINGTON: Washington is just the berries! Berries like blackberries and raspberries need honeybee pollination and lead to delicious honey.
WASHINGTON DC: There are even honeybees at our nation's capitol. Michelle Obama, the First Lady put a hive on the White House lawn to pollinate the vegetable garden.
WEST VIRGINIA: The West Virginia Honey Festival in Parkersburg, West Virginia teaches the public about honey, beeswax, and pollination.
WISCONSIN: Cranberries are a crop that needs honeybee pollination. Beekeepers bring hives to cranberry bogs during the month of June. Princess Amy is from Wisconsin, which is also known for its dairy!
WYOMING: In Wyoming, honeybees pollinate many of the wild plants used in livestock pasture. These plants continue to grow because of honeybee pollination, and our they become feed for our livestock (especially cattle).
