‘Worse than most’: Drought conditions impacting Tennessee beekeepers

HICKMAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The impacts of dry, drought conditions are far-reaching. It’s not just farmers and agriculture that are taking a hit this year in Tennessee, but beekeepers as well.

Nathan Coleman has lived his whole life along the Duck River and took up beekeeping as a hobby during COVID. In fact, the interest and demand for his honey led him to quit his desk job and fully commit to the craft, opening Duck River Honey Company in 2020.

Like others in Hickman County, Coleman believes this year’s conditions are the worst he’s ever seen. As a result, his honey business has taken a hit; his costs have climbed and his honey production has dipped. He told News 2 he’s been forced to feed hives an excess of sugar syrup to keep them healthy.

“Because of the drought, they’ve eaten a lot of the extra honey they made in the spring,” explained Coleman, who has 230 colonies of honeybees in total. “They’ve eaten about as much through the summer as they normally would through the winter. I’ve got a lot of hives that are lightweight and not going to make it without help.”

In the months ahead, Coleman said beekeepers across the state will have to take steps to ensure their colonies can last through the winter.

“It’s been so dry for so long, there’s not enough water stored in the plant to make nectar this fall. So, we’re more than likely going to have a complete bust on the fall honey flow,” detailed Coleman.

“You got to be able to live on the averages, you got to be able to survive down years in agriculture. This year’s been worse than most,” Coleman added.

“What’s something you don’t think people know about bees that they should?” asked News 2’s Sam Chimenti.

“Well, 80% of our food is reliant on bee pollination,” answered Coleman. “And most people don’t understand that. Most people don’t understand that bees have to have flowering plants. Lawns don’t do anything for bees.”

When asked what message he’d like to get out to the public, Coleman said people need to support farmers during this time and commit to old school, farm-to-table eating.

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Overall, Coleman said he is in a better position than other beekeepers he knows. But he’s in the same position as everybody else along a dwindling Duck River — praying for more wet weather to return.

“We went from too much rain, to no rain for almost eight weeks. It just makes things tough,” said Coleman. “We’ve got this biological gemstone in the Duck River; we need to balance the needs of industry and people, while preserving the beauty and wonder of nature that we have.”

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