Host-a-Hive of Honey Bees

Our Host-a-Hive program provides you the opportunity to be a part of the beekeeping effort here at Garden Supply Company.

Start Date

Hosting begins April 2024! This gives us time to establish your colony safely in the hive boxes.

Benefits of Hosting

  • Contribute a working beehive to our community for the season
  • Learn about honeybees, pollinators and the plants they thrive on
  • Visit store hives and observe honeybees with resident beekeepers
  • Participate in on-site and virtual beekeeping classes
  • Enjoy 10 pounds of honey from your own hive at the end of the season

The beekeeping season here in North Carolina typically begins around the middle of March when we start new hives from packages and split existing hives so we can carry on our bees’ strong genetic traits.

Host as many hives as you want! Groups welcome (family, friends, corporate). Host-a-Hive makes a great birthday or holiday gift!

What a memorable way to help save the bees and enjoy 10 jars of local honey from your hive as an additional reward! Please refer to the information below for frequently asked questions and updates to our program.

Your investment

Your investment for 2024 is $485 and helps cover the cost of

  • Hive boxes
  • Treatments needed to keep the hive healthy
  • Beekeepers time spent inspecting and working in your hive to maintain it’s vigor

As a host, you are providing these bees a place to live and a safe healthy environment in which to thrive!

Classes & Program Enrichment

Beekeeping section at Garden Supply Co.

Hive Boxes in the beekeeping section at Garden Supply Co.

This year’s Host-a-Hive program includes

  • Learning Opportunities
    1. Bees (native & honey bees) and Pollination
    2. Managing Honey bees
    3. The Wonders of Honey
    4. Pollinator Friendly Plantings
  • Pollinator gardening class at GSCO
  • Coordinated off-site tour of pollinator gardens
  • Specialty store coupon (1 per hive)
  • YouTube video of personal hives (upon request)

View our calendar for details and regular updates.

Hive Location

We strive to provide the best care and opportunities for our bees to thrive. That usually means following the nectar providing flowering plants and trees. While many hives will stay at our home base apiary at Garden Supply Company, located at 1421 Old Apex Rd., Cary, we also operate honey collecting bee yards across the state. Throughout the changing seasons, we take bees to areas that will provide them with the resources they need, and we’re able to harvest some honey as well! We can not locate the hives at individual’s homes. For the health of our bees, we keep them in our apiaries to keep a close eye on them.

Hive Care

Jason Cirioli and our beekeeping experts at Garden Supply Company will be your hives’ keepers. You do not have to care for the hive yourself. You are, however, welcome to visit during open bee yard days or by appointment.

Host-A-Hive Updates

As we go through the season we will keep you up to date on the hives through email and social media. Special appointments can be made to meet at the store to discuss specific questions. Contact beekeeper and Host a Hive program coordinator, Roger Montague, for an appointment at 919.460.7747 or roger@gardensupplyco.com.

The Sweet Reward

The sweet reward of hosting includes 10 pounds of honey in October 2023 in the form of ten 1 pound glass jars with custom labels on them.  It is necessary to leave a certain amount of honey in each hive for the bees to have food during the coming winter. As a result if there is not enough surplus honey on your hive, we will still be able to provide you with honey from our apiary. At the end of the beekeeping season, you will have the opportunity to take your bees and the hive home ($245 additional fee).

Bee Hub on YouTube

Visit our YouTube channel for tutorials, local hive visits and more.