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Beekeepers “Swarm” in South Carolina

These bees have filled some of the beeswax cells with honey.
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio

  Beekeepers are proliferating in South Carolina. While for a few it’s a living, for most people it’s a hobby, with home-grown honey as a benefit. Kieth Henry of Ridgeway in Fairfield County is one of thousands of hobbyists in the state.

Beekeeper Kieth Henry removes a frame of bees from one of his hives.
Credit Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Beekeeper Kieth Henry removes a frame of bees from one of his hives.

He points out how vital the honeybee is to human’s food supply, as it pollinates many of the fruits and vegetables we eat every day. So important is the honeybee, adds Richard Guess of Camden, that some beekeepers rent their hives to farmers to pollinate their crops. The honeybee is the most studied insect in the world, and has been for centuries, says Guess. But amazingly, he believes, there may be more about the honeybee that we still don’t know, than we do.

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.