Helpful Beekeeping Information | Bee Care & Education

Helpful Beekeeping Information & Resources

This section provides practical guidance on bee care, seasonal hive management, and pollinator support. Our goal is to share clear, reliable information that empowers responsible beekeeping and environmental stewardship.

Beekeeping is both science and art. Every colony is unique and regionally affected. Get to know your bees with every interaction.

We are not sponsored or endorsed, only sharing helpful info we encountered on our learning path as a new beekeeper in East Tennessee.

Our Reading List

(*If there is a book that has helped improved your apiculture knowledge, please share it!)

Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World - Jacqueline Freeman
The Queen Must Die - William Longgood
The Shamanic Way of the Bee - Simon Buxton
Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey - Brother Adam
Health and the Honeybee - Charles Mraz
Contemporary Queen Rearing - Harry Laidlaw Jr.
The Sacred Bee - Hilda M. Ransome
Honeybee: Lessons From An Accidental Beekeeper- C. Marina Marchese
Natural Medicine From Honeybees (Apitherapy) - Jacob Kaal
Value Added Products From Beekeeping by R. Krell
- https://www.fao.org/4/w0076E/w0076e00.htm
Beekeeping In Tennessee by UT Institute of Agriculture
- https://rutherford.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/200/2020/10/PB1745-beekeeping-in-TN.pdf
Honeybee Democracy - Thomas D. Seeley
The Golden Rules of Beekeeping - Blake Shook and Kamon Reynolds
The Beekeeper's Apothecary: A Foundational Guide For Becoming Your Own Herbalist - Kaylee Richardson
Guide To Honey Bee Queen Banking - Ellen Topitzhofer and Ramesh Sagili, Oregon State University
- https://static1.squarespace.com/static/650342507631075013d25a2c/t/650b49b275ac2c08320c1575/1728673371659/queen_banking_guide_web_copy.pdf
How to Make a Swarm-Stopping Split With a Double Screen Board - BetterBee
- https://www.betterbee.com/instructions-and-resources/making-a-swarm-stopping-split-using-a-double-screen-board.asp?srsltid=AfmBOoo7V6rGfMVa0fdVTahJhKBXHaEfeyCY1eHWDwmuPfpV6IKXxAvb
Beekeeping Like a Girl: A Blog By Girl Next Door Honey
- https://beekeepinglikeagirl.com/
UT Honey and Pollen Assessment - Conner R. Reed, Larry J. Millet
- https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.660778v1
Beekeeping In Tennessee by UT Institute of Agriculture
- https://rutherford.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/200/2020/10/PB1745-beekeeping-in-TN.pdf

Local Apiculture Supply Companies:

Maryville, Tennessee

- Smokey Ridge Apiaries
  - https://smokeyridgeapiaries.com/
  - 368 Odell Rd

Maryville, TN 37801

- AgCentral Co-Op
  - https://www.agcentral.coop/
  - 3939 US-411

Maryville, TN 37801

Sevierly Buzzed Honey
- https://sevierbees.com/
Diamond Springs Apiary
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/ds7hv52VYBgHXWvY9
Strawberry Plains Honey Co
- https://www.strawberryplainshoney.com/

Online Apiculture Supply Companies:

- Blue Ridge Honey Company
  - https://blueridgehoneycompany.com/
- Tennessee's Bees / Kamon's Bees
  - https://www.kamonsbees.com/
- HillCo, LLC
  - https://www.hillco.buzz/?view=no-usf
- Apimaye
  - https://apimaye-usa.com/
- Lorob Bees, LLC
  - https://lorobbees.com/
- Apis Tactical
  - https://apis-tactical.com/
- EZPZ Beekeeping Equipment
  - https://ezpz.buzz/
- Honey Run Apiaries
  - https://honeyrunapiaries.com/
- Betterbee
  - https://www.betterbee.com/
- Bulk Apothecary
  - https://www.bulkapothecary.com/
- TRS Industries Custome Bee Nets
  - https://trsindustries.com/custom-bee-nets/

- Dadant & Sons
  - https://www.dadant.com/
- Apis Biologix
  - https://www.apisbiologix.com/
- The Bee Supply
  - https://thebeesupply.com/
- Mann Lake, LTD
  - https://www.mannlakeltd.com/
- Foxhound Bee Company
  - https://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/
- Global Patties
  - https://www.globalpatties.com/
- Galena Farms
  - https://galenafarms.com/
- Lappe's Bee Supply
  - https://www.lappesbeesupply.com/
- BEEpothecary
  - https://beepothecary.us/
- Beelite Candles
  - https://beelitecandles.com/
- Webstaurant Store
  - https://www.webstaurantstore.com/

Helpful Links & Info

TN Department of Agriculture: Apiary Registration
- https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/animals/apiary/apiary-registration.html
- All Apiaries in the state of Tennessee are required to be registered with the State Department of Agriculture under Senate Bill No. 556, Title 44, Chapter 15, Part I, Tennessee Apiary Act of 1995.
TN Department of Agriculture: Apiary
- https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/animals/apiary.html
TN Department of Agriculture: Apiary Forms
- https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/animals/apiary/apiary-forms.html
TN Department of Agriculture Apiary Inspector Areas:
- https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/animals/apiary/apiary-inspector-staff.html
University of Tennessee Honey and Pollen Assessment
- https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.660778v1
University of Tennessee Master Beekeeing Program
- https://epp.tennessee.edu/masterbee/
University of Missouri Beekpeeing Planning Budget Tool
- https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g692
USDA Farm Service Agency Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm Raised Fish (ELAP)
- https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/emergency-assistance-livestock-honeybees-farm-raised-fish-elap
USDA Farm Service Agency Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) Related Information
- https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/noninsured-crop-disaster-assistance-related-information
USDA Farm Service Agency State Office Lookup
- https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices
National Honey Report
- https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvmhoney.pdf
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: HoneyBeeNet
- https://honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Honeybees/ForageRegion.php?StReg=TN_11
- List of Honey Bee Forage Species within Region 11 for the State of TN
Blount County Beekeepers Association
- https://blountbees.wordpress.com/
Tennessee Beekeepers Association
- https://tnbeekeepers.org/

Heroes To Hives
- https://miffs.org/heroes-to-hives/
Hives For Heroes:
- https://hivesforheroes.org/
Farmer Veteran Coalition
- https://farmvetco.org/
Homegrown By Heroes
- https://farmvetco.org/hbh/
Honey/Pollen Identification Sampling
- https://jonahventures.com/
Online Diagnostic Tools For Honey Bee Diseases
- https://pollinators.msu.edu/sites/_pollinators/rise360/diagnostic-tools-for-honey-bee-diseases/index.html#/
Xerces Society Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists
- https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists
Bee Check
- https://tn.beecheck.org/
Blount County Soil and Water Conservation District
- Native Tree & Shrub Sale
- https://www.bcswcd.org/s/shop
Beekeeping Education Hub - BetterBee
- https://www.betterbee.com/beekeeping-hub/

Helpful YouTube Channels

Arkansas Division of Agriculture Home Beekeeping Course
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzwlawVM4o4E43fZF9r8_fDbThDSyllPQ
Kamon Reynolds - Tennessee's Bees
- http://www.youtube.com/@kamonreynolds
Bob Binnie
- http://www.youtube.com/@bobbinnie9872
Ian Steppler
- http://www.youtube.com/@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog
Heroes to Hives
- http://www.youtube.com/@heroestohives
Randy Oliver
- https://www.youtube.com/@RandyOliver
National Honey Show:
- https://www.youtube.com/@NationalHoneyShowUK
Sustainable Beekeepers Guild of Michigan (SBGMI)
- https://www.youtube.com/@sbgmimedia