Some habits of commercial beekeepers have been creeping into the practices of backyard beekeepers, whose aims can be very different. NC State Beekeepers Association Master Craftsman Eric Talley urges beekeepers to ask “Do these practices really help in the management of our colonies?”
Eric wrote about the two perspectives for the American Bee Journal in its October edition. He will talk with the Orange County Beekeepers Association on Feb. 13 about the two ways of managing bees and offer ideas about how to choose what’s best for your bees.
Please bring a savory or sweet snack to share at 6 pm. Hive Talk follows at 6:30 pm and will focus on what’s happening in our apiaries now. Our program begins at 7 pm and there will be a short business update afterward.

Eric Talley
This meeting will be in-person at the NC Cooperative Extension, 1020 US Highway 70 West, Hillsborough.
Eric lives and raises bees on North Carolina’s southeast coast. He was recognized as NCSBA Beekeeper of the Year in 2023. He also received the American Beekeeping Federation’s 2021 Practical Beekeeping Idea award for a pollen patty feeder that he designed.
Eric is Coordinator of the NCSBA Master Beekeeper Program so bring your questions if you are interested in or are already pursuing the next level of beekeeping.
During the beekeeping season, Eric usually manages around 50 10-frame colonies and 125 5-frame nucleus colonies. He’s also a queen producer and a queen breeder, supplying VSH production queens and breeder queens to the surrounding area during the summer.