Tucked in a clearing off the side of Chatham Street in Cary, hundreds of honeybees go about their business.
These bees are part of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Beneficial Insect Lab, their hives sitting in front of the lab building within a greenhouse frame.
The lab is part of the department’s apiary program, which is itself a part of the Plant Industry Division. The apiary program is responsible for maintaining the health of North Carolina’s honeybee population, which is no small job. The number of colonies in the state has grown “exponentially” over the last 10 years, said Don Hopkins, apiary inspection supervisor…