Home - Blackwater Beekeepers Association

Attention

Considering becoming a Beekeeper?

Find out answers by attending a 3 hour seminar this November

🐝 Seminar: Beekeeping: Is it right for me? 🐝

For $10 you will be able to evaluate what is necessary to be successful. It will be presented by seasoned experienced beekeepers.

November 8, 2025
10 am to 1 pm
L W Paul Living Farm Conway SC

Seminar Cost:$10

Very limited seating so sign up early.

Register for this Seminar

We will be at the LORIS BOG OFF November 18th, in downtown Loris SC. We will have live bees in an observation hive for you and your children to safely experience. In addition experienced beekeepers will be there to answer your questions about these pollinators. We hope to see you.

Welcome

We are here to help you learn about saving our pollinators and educating those who wish to become successful beekeepers.

The information about local pollinators is focused on Coastal South Carolina. This site updates regularly

We hope you find it valuable

Want to learn more about protecting our pollinators or have questions

 You can reach a team member

843-310-2188

You will be directed to one closest to you. Leave a message we will return your call.

Consider...

Monthly BBA meetings are free to attend and the annual membership cost is only $15 per year (you do not have to be a beekeeper) and it gives you access to the member side of the website.

Join

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ABOUT US

Blackwater Beekeepers Association (BBA) is a non-profit 501 c-5 organization based in South Carolina.

All are members and leaders are volunteer.

Established in 2012 by local beekeepers, BBA aims to foster interest and provide education in the Art and Science of managing Honeybee colonies as well as promoting the need to protect and encourage pollinators.

We cover the coastal plain environment primarily including Horry County but parts of Georgetown County as well.

Our membership includes beekeepers of all experience levels, ranging from beginners with a few colonies in their backyard to seasoned beekeepers overseeing over a hundred colonies as well as those who wish to support the protection of local pollinators.

The protection of our Honeybees is crucial to our world.   They are the primary pollinators creating the means for essential plant reproduction, contribute to our biodiversity and ecosystem health.

They pollinate crops like apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, melon, peaches, potatoes, vanilla, almonds, coffee and chocolate and most all vegetables.    Our grocery stores would be empty of these vital crops in the span of a few years.

Blackwater Beekeepers Association want to educate you so...you can be part of the solution preventing Honeybee and pollinator decline.

You do not have to be a beekeeper to be part of this Association...dues yearly are only $15.   Being a member allows you to access the member side of the website and learn more about the problems facing pollinators in general and specifically honeybees.

                                    Our Mission

Are you aware of an new threat to our pollinator environment?

It has not yet entered Horry County as of 2025.

The threat is real and it may in the future affect not only our vital pollinators but also the human experience. South Carolina Department of Plant Industry is working hard to slow up its progress northward.

I am talking about the Yellow Legged Hornet.   A non native hornet that has already affect the southern parts of South Carolina.

The image below is what it looks like.   It is a hornet not a wasp.

This is an aggressive insect larger than wasps and bees.

It differs from bald faced hornets (which are white in color) with its dark yellow color and yellow legs. Both are similar in size.

The yellow legged hornet feeds on honey bees and can destroy a colony if hornet numbers are large enough.

It is also a serious threat to you as it is attracted to your outdoor events. Its can sting multiple times and stings are very painful.

Bald Faced Hornet

Yellow Jacket Wasp

Common Mud Wasp

BumbleBee

Honeybee

Note the above images.

The hornets and wasps produce paper like nests. With the Yellow Legged Hornet producing nests as big as beach balls in late summer.

Bumblebees are solitary. While honeybees produces colonies inside structures and overwinter as colonies all hornets, wasps and bumblebees overwinter as solitary queens.

So what can you do to help stop the spread of this dangerous invasive hornet?

Clemson has a website you can access to learn more about how to correctly id this insect if/when it might appear in our area.

The SC Department of Plant Industry is aggressively removing nests when they are discovered and they are only discovered primarily with YOUR HELP.

The following links will give you information and how to report a sighting.

More Info on this Pollinator and Human Threat

Report a sighting of Yellow Legged Hornet

If you See THIS Hornet please report the sighting.

Our pollinators are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, unsustainable agricultural practices, climate change and pollution. This is a reality.

Their decline jeopardizes food production, increases costs and exacerbates food insecurity, particularly for rural communities.

Pollination is absolutely necessary for agrifood systems, supporting the production of more than 75 percent of the world's crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. In addition to increasing crop yields, pollinators improve food quality and diversity.

Bees and other pollinators also serve as indicators of environmental health, providing insights into ecosystems and the climate. Protecting pollinators also enhances biodiversity and critical ecosystem services, such as soil fertility, pest control, and air and water regulation.

World Bee Day is celebrated only one day...but represents the need for awareness of a pending issue.

Blackwater Beekeepers recommends you participate in a local Garden Clubs or become a member of Blackwater Beekeepers Association.

Educate yourself so that you help make a difference to the survival locally of our pollinators.

🤠

WANT TO

BECOME A BEEKEEPER

To learn about how to start raising your own colony of honeybees and gathering your own honey.

Local Seminars and Courses happening Spring 2025

Concerned about our local pollinators?
So are we...

Honey Bees are the largest pollinators of local flora and gardens in our area. We want to ensure they survive.   One of the best ways is public education.

For a $10 investment and three hours of your time you can learn about and decide if you might want to become a beekeeper.

We are offered "Beekeeping:Is it Right for YOU".
There will be two identical 3 hour seminars locally to help you learn about what is involved in beekeeping locally.

Saturday October 18th from 9 am to Noon
All Saints Church ACTS Buildingd
http://www.allsaintspawleys.org
3560 Kings River Road
Pawleys Island, SC

October 18th Register here

and

Saturday November 8th from 10am to 1pm
L W Paul Living Farm
2279 Harris Short Cut Rd
Conway, SC

November 8th Register Here

Seating is limited to 30 people at both seminars.
   Presentations will be by local experienced beekeepers.

February 4-March 10 2026

Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

Registrations for this course will be available soon.

This is a 7 week basic Beekeeping Course presented by experienced beekeepers.

SCBA Certified Beekeeping Course - Basics into the Art of Beekeeping

For those wishing to obtain a deeper understanding into the Art of Beekeeping...A SCBA certified Entry Level Course will be available in early January 2026

This course is for those who are serious in becoming knowledgeable about the art of beekeeping. This is a seven week entry level course that will give you an understanding of the benefits and required skills of managing honeybees.

The course is limited to 35 participants.

Attending the BBA one day Evaluation Seminar (available now) is recommended but not required prior to signing up for the course.

If you are interested in finding out more about what is involved in beekeeping…you can call 843-310-2188

We recommend that you attend any monthly BBA member meeting held in Conway, North Myrtle Beach or Georgetown. They are free and open to the public.

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Did you know that in the 4th century BC...Aristotle when observing the Honey Bee colony assumed that the largest bee in the colony was the "king" and that all the worker bees were "slaves". It wasn't until 1609 that Entomologist Charles Butler published The Feminine Monarchy in which that large bee was first called the "Queen".
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Blackwater Beekeepers Association is growing...now serving more beekeepers throughout Horry County SC and surrounding areas.

The BBA Board of Directors are working to establish better ways to encourage and communicate without excessive drive times.   Monthly meetings in Conway will remain the 2nd Monday of every month.

However, We are blessed to have leaders in both the northern part and southern part of Horry County.   You can now attend meetings that will help you become more successful as a beekeeper, expand knowledge of protecting our important pollinators as the land use and environmental change in our area.

If you reside in Little River/North Myrtle Beach Areas or in the Georgetown, Murrelle Inlet, Pawley Island and surrounding areas you can attend a more local meeting every month, save on drive time and be connected with other beekeepers.    You can always attend any meeting anywhere in the county free of charge.

It is our desire that you grow in your hobby or business as a beekeeper but also those who want to protect and encourage pollinators also grow in their understanding of how they can help with pollinator survival.

We are excited...

Georgetown Chapter of BBA is there so that you can learn about Pollinators without having to drive to Conway. Meeting at free for anyone interested to attend.

Regular monthly meeting for the Georgetown Chapter will be held the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm.
Winyah Blueberry Farm
309 Weaver Loop
Georgetown, SC 29440

for more information...

Georgetown Chapter

Big News for you folks in the Little River/NMB area...

The Little River/ NMB chapter of Blackwater Beekeeper Association now meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm. Come early at 6:30 for meet and greet time 👍

The meeting will be held at the Clubhouse on the Island, 4000 Shorecrest Court,Little River, SC 29566

The meetings will be open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

These meetings are in addition to the regular monthly BBA member meetings held in Conway the 2nd Monday of every month and provide local folks, like you, with localized current conditions and solutions that will impact our vital pollinators. 👍

If you are interested in learning about the challenges facing pollinators and honeybees in the Little River/NMB area please consider attending.

For More information...

Little River/NMB Chapter

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🐝 Pollinators are the supporting element of our food supply. You don't have to be a beekeeper to learn how to protect them. Join Blackwater Beekeepers Association...we will help you learn about protecting this important natural resource. 🐝

Learning about Pollinators is no easy task as you can see from the above photos. We encounter some interesting situations.

However learning how to protect our pollinators starts with the one insect that will teach us the most about pollination...the humble Honey Bee. Blackwater Beekeepers Association is about educating our community. We learn, discover and have fun. Doing so we enjoy and learn from each other and have fun....lots of fun.

🤠

Looking for "Raw Local Honey"?

Members of BBA offer this product and you can find who offers it by simply clicking on the "Business Directory" tab.

Availability is for the year usually begins in mid June and is based on the number of managed colonies a member has and the strength of the nectar flow in our area.

Simply call one of the members listed under the "Business Directory" tab that offers Honey for sale.

Blackwater Beekeepers Association does not recommend nor endorse any member because our mission is solely to educate the public about the issue of pollinator decline and support and encourage local beekeepers in the Art and Science of Beekeeping.

Interesting in Learning More...

Monthly BBA meetings are open to you

There is no cost to attend.

🤔

Every month we meet to discuss things that are going on locally with our honeybee colonies.

We discuss what is happening in our hives,

Meet and socialize with local beekeepers!

It happens every Second Monday each month beginning at 7pm...

The locations is...

Clemson Extension Office

1949 Industrial Park Rd.

Conway, SC 29526

Map Location

In the Hive

Check out what is happening
in Local Hives
over the next few months.

In the hive September/October

The Blackwater Beekeepers Association aims to enlighten and educate the local community members about the environmental and health benefits of honeybees. We offer knowledgeable local beekeepers who are eager and equipped to deliver engaging and educational presentations to the public.

Presentations are offered for Daycares, Schools, Home Schooling groups, Civic organizations, and Garden Clubs. We provide presentations tailored to suit all age groups and environmental interests. Should your group be interested in a presentation.

The Blackwater Beekeepers Association advocates for and inspires individuals of all ages to explore the intriguing and delightful world of the Honeybee. Whether it's for honey or pollinating your flowers and garden, raising Honeybees is the sole method to accomplish both.

As a South Carolina non-profit entity and an all-volunteer-run association we greatly value donations. Contributions are dedicated to the development and enhancement of initiatives aimed at raising the profile of honeybees, recognizing their vital role as
pollinators for our flora and gardens.

Note: We cannot bring observation hives with honeybees to an event in the cold weather months.

More Details

Request a Speaker

Did you know that on average a worker honey bee only lives for about 45 days during the summer. And...an average queen can live up to five years but is only productive for about two before being replaced by the colony.
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In the Hive

Check out what is happening
in Local Hives
over the next few months.

In the hive September/October