It’s Saturday morning and that means Farmers Market Day. I’m hoping to discover one of my favorite things here, wildflower honey. And I know just the man to look for. Buddy Williams is a third generation beekeeper and he knows his bees. He’s a retired Mitsubishi project engineer who took over beekeeping from his mother.
Buddy is a member of the Beekeepers Association and has 75 hives in 8 locations in the Landrum area.  “I keep them spaced out so disease can’t completely wipe out all the hives,” he tells me.  I ask about the hive collapse that we hear so much about.  “I think it’s pesticides”, he cautions. “These pollinators take their bees from Georgia to  California to pollinate all kinds of trees, peaches to almonds. They pick up different pesticides. And then there’s the GMO produce. We don’t know how that affects things.” He shakes his head in dismay, then adds, “And recently I had some bears get in my hives.”  I quickly conjure up pictures of Pooh Bear wallowing in honey. “How do you keep a bear away from honey?” I inquire.  He thinks an electric fence will do the trick.
Next Buddy shows me a little wooden box a few inches long.  “This is how I get my queens.  I order from Florida, Georgia, and Texas.  They come in the mail in this little box along with a piece of sugar candy.”  I wonder if the mailman hears the buzzing as he carries his mail along the route? Bzzzzzzzzz  as he places the package in the mailbox.
People today like their honey in a jar, or squeezed from a charming , plastic bear.  “In the old days”, Buddy remembers, “My parents would just take a square of the comb and set it in a bowl on the table. They would take a slice of the wax and spread it on toast.  But I liked to get my spoon underneath and draw out a spoonful of just the honey,” he grins.
Buddy is a busy beekeeper.  Not only does he care for all his hives, but he also teaches beekeeping classes.  Some of his customers want to start their own hives.  He holds classes in Spartanburg, in his own home and in churches.  In addition, he works with Clemson to certify beekeepers using both a field test and a written test.  If you think you want to learn about beekeeping, call Buddy at 864-457-2013.  Or better yet, stop by his truck at the market and look for the man with the friendly face. That will be Buddy.
Buddy has invited me to his next “bee certification”. I can’t wait. Potential beekeepers take the written test and it’s followed up a year later with a field test.
Watch for my follow-up story when I visit his farm and meet the new beekeepers.