Serving Saline County Beekeepers
Local supply and straight answers for beekeepers across Benton, Bryant, Haskell, and the rest of Saline County.
Arkansas Honeyworks opened in early 2026 inside Patina & Grace Flea Market at 17186 US-70 in Benton. Saline County is our home base — if you keep bees in Benton, Bryant, Haskell, Shannon Hills, Alexander, or any of the unincorporated parts of the county, we're the local supply shop closest to you.
We're new — only a couple of months in. Our product selection reflects research rather than years of experience running a store. We stock what the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the major beekeeping industry sources recommend for Saline County. Our approach is quality first — we'd rather sell you one piece of equipment that lasts than three rounds of replacements. Premier Bee Products woodenware, Apimaye insulated hives, gear built for the long haul. If you have questions about what fits your goals and budget, ask when you're in.
Most of the facts on this page come from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Apiary Section, the Arkansas Beekeepers Association, and peer-reviewed research. Where we share our own perspective, we'll label it that way. We're a retailer that did its homework — not a thirty-year beekeeper pretending expertise we haven't earned. We'd rather point you to the right expert than fake it.
USDA Hardiness Zone and climate
Saline County sits in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a as of the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. That's a shift from 7b in the 2012 map, based on 30-year average extreme minimum winter temperatures of 10°F to 15°F for our area. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service notes this shift is marginal for most growers — it reflects better data from more weather stations nationwide, not a dramatic climate swing. But it does describe a real pattern for our region: milder winters than northern Arkansas, earlier spring buildup, and longer summer dearths than the Ozarks see.
Seasonal rhythm for Central Arkansas beekeepers
The following is summarized directly from UAEX's official Arkansas Beekeeping Calendar, maintained by Dr. Jon Zawislak at the UA Division of Agriculture. Local factors — weather, elevation, forage — will shift timing by weeks in either direction.
January: With temperatures still low, the queen stays deep in the cluster surrounded by workers. Little activity outside unless temperatures reach about 50°F, when workers may take cleansing flights. In mild Arkansas winters, some limited brood production can begin even before pollen is available. Workers consume significant honey generating cluster heat.
February: A few warm days lure workers outside. When the first spring flowers begin to bloom, fresh pollen stimulates limited egg-laying. Per UAEX, surplus food supplies may be running low this month — increased brood-rearing costs a substantial amount of stored honey. Check hive weight.
March: Days grow longer and warmer. Pollen collection increases and the queen's egg-laying ramps up. Drones begin appearing. UAEX notes that in years with a late spring, insufficient flowers can leave colonies at risk of starvation — feeding may be required. Red maple, dandelion, and early magnolia are among the earliest pollen sources for Central Arkansas bees, per UAEX's own spring reporting.
April: Spring is in full swing. UAEX: "foraging activity and brood production should be in high gear. Crowded hives are likely to swarm." Examine hives every 8-10 days for queen cells. Supers go on for established colonies.
May: Per UAEX directly: "In the hill areas of Arkansas, the spring honey flow will be near its peak toward the end of May. Bees will be foraging constantly and the queen can be laying in excess of 1,500 eggs per day." Super as needed — when a super is three-quarters full, add another.
June: Bee populations are high. If weather is favorable, nectar and pollen continue coming in vigorously. Weekly inspections to confirm colony health. Monitor pest populations but avoid chemical treatments before honey is harvested.
July: Per UAEX: "As the weather trends toward hotter and drier, the nectar flow typically ends in the hill areas." Summer dearth begins. Bees need fresh water access. Honey can be harvested as soon as capped, but leave enough for the bees' own summer needs.
August: Colony growth slows as the nectar flow dries up. Per UAEX: "During times of summer dearth, bees can often consume more honey than they are storing." Bees can be cranky and prone to stinging — be careful during inspections. Varroa mite levels reach peak numbers this month.
September: Cooler, wetter weather may produce a fall nectar flow. Drones get evicted. Per UAEX: "Any remaining honey is harvested. Each colony will need about 50-60 pounds of honey for winter." This is when fall varroa treatments should be applied, after supers are removed.
October: Queen's egg-laying continues to decrease. Feeding may be required to ready colonies for winter — UAEX recommends 2:1 sugar-to-water syrup for fall. Mouse guards can be installed. Mite treatments should be removed per product label.
November–December: Bees cluster. Beekeeper rests. Per UAEX: "Don't open hives in cold weather." Secure hive lids with a brick in windy locations. Finish winter feeding before December if needed.
The full UAEX Arkansas Beekeeping Calendar at uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/special-programs/beekeeping/calendar.aspx is the authoritative seasonal reference, and it's free to use.
Arkansas state apiary law
Beekeeping in Arkansas is regulated at the state level under the Arkansas Apiary Law (Act 161 of 1977, as amended; codified at Arkansas Code § 2-22-110) and the administrative rules of what is now the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Apiary Section. These rules apply statewide, including all of Saline County.
Three things every Saline County beekeeper should know:
1. Registration is required, and it's free. Every beekeeper in Arkansas must register their apiary locations with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. There is no fee — just a simple form. State law requires registration within 10 days of taking ownership of bees, or 20 days before moving hives into a new location. Contact the Apiary Section at (501) 225-1598 or visit agriculture.arkansas.gov.
2. The three-mile pasturage rule. Arkansas apiary regulations prohibit establishing a new apiary within three miles of an already-registered bee yard without the other beekeeper's consent — unless the new yard is on your own land. When you register, beekeepers within three miles of your location are notified automatically. This rule protects established pasturage rights and helps limit disease spread through drifting and robbing.
3. Hives must have movable frames. Arkansas law requires managed honey bee colonies to be kept in hives with movable frames so that apiary inspectors can inspect for contagious diseases — particularly American and European foulbrood. If you sell, gift, or otherwise transfer a hive to another beekeeper, you'll need a current inspection certificate (valid for one year) from the state Apiary Section.
Local city ordinances
Arkansas state law does not restrict backyard beekeeping in urban or suburban areas. However, the Arkansas Beekeepers Association notes that individual municipalities may impose their own rules on the number or placement of hives. If you live inside the city limits of Benton, Bryant, Haskell, Shannon Hills, or Alexander, we recommend calling your city hall or code enforcement office before setting up your first hive. HOA rules can also apply where state and city law don't. It's a five-minute phone call that can prevent a complaint later.
Regardless of what your city allows, good hive placement practice applies everywhere: keep hives away from sidewalks and high-foot-traffic areas, use a vegetation barrier or six-foot fence to force bees to fly up and over neighboring spaces, and provide a close water source so your bees don't go looking for it in a neighbor's pool or dog bowl.
Authoritative resources for Saline County beekeepers
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
UAEX is the single most useful free resource for Arkansas beekeepers. They maintain the state's beekeeping program, publish a month-by-month beekeeping calendar, explain Arkansas apiary laws in plain language, and host educational events. The program lead is Dr. Jon Zawislak, Assistant Professor of Apiculture and Urban Entomology.
- State beekeeping program: uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/special-programs/beekeeping
- Arkansas Beekeeping Calendar: uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/special-programs/beekeeping/calendar.aspx
- Saline County Extension Office: Contact at uaex.uada.edu/counties/saline
- Dr. Zawislak (state apiculturist): 501-671-2222, [email protected]
Arkansas Beekeepers Association (ABA)
The Arkansas Beekeepers Association is the statewide organization serving all Arkansas beekeepers. They host two conferences a year with speakers on nutrition, pest management, queen rearing, and integrated pest management. ABA also maintains a directory of local associations and a statewide swarm removal contact list.
- Website: arbeekeepers.org
- Conferences: Two per year, typically spring and fall
Local associations
Saline County beekeepers have two local associations worth knowing about:
Saline County Beekeepers Association (SCBA) — the in-county association, based in Benton and listed in ABA's local association directory. For current meeting times and membership information, see arbeekeepers.org/saline-county-beekeepers-association or reach out through the contact on that page.
Central Arkansas Beekeepers Association (CABA) — a regional association covering Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner, and surrounding counties. They meet the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM at Levy Church of Christ in North Little Rock. Their Facebook page posts upcoming topics and guest speakers.
Local associations are where most new beekeepers find mentors. Some clubs loan equipment like extractors to members. We encourage every beekeeper in Saline County to be part of at least one.
Arkansas Department of Agriculture — Apiary Section
The Apiary Section handles hive registration, inspections, and disease investigations. They're responsive to calls and emails and can answer specific regulatory questions.
- Phone: (501) 225-1598
- Website: agriculture.arkansas.gov
State insect of Arkansas
For what it's worth: Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, is the official state insect of Arkansas — designated because of the honey bee's contribution to state agriculture through crop pollination and honey production.
How we built our selection
Arkansas Honeyworks opened earlier this year, and our product selection reflects research rather than years of watching customer behavior. Here's the thinking behind what's on our shelves.
Starter kits for new beekeepers
Our Beginner's Hive Starter Kit is built around what UAEX's "Getting Started" guide identifies as essential for a new Arkansas beekeeper: two deep hive bodies, frames and foundation, bottom board, inner cover, telescoping outer cover, a hive tool, a smoker, a veil, and gloves. We chose the specific components from manufacturers whose quality is well-established — Premier Bee Products for woodenware, Apis Tactical for protective gear built for warm-climate use.
If you're starting this spring, the single best thing we can tell you is: join a local beekeeping association before your bees arrive. A mentor costs nothing and will save you more than any piece of equipment we sell.
Why we stock five different varroa treatments
Varroa destructor is the single biggest threat to managed honey bee colonies. UAEX, USDA, and the Honey Bee Health Coalition all identify it as the leading cause of colony mortality in North America. Because the right treatment depends on time of year, outside temperature, and whether you have honey supers on, we stock the major EPA-approved treatment categories so you're not forced into the wrong product at the wrong time:
- Apivar (amitraz strips) — long the fall standard, but peer-reviewed research (Rinkevich et al., PLOS ONE 2020; Pest Management Science 2023) has documented rising amitraz resistance in US Varroa populations, including confirmed treatment failures in commercial operations. It still works in many apiaries, but you shouldn't assume. Monitor mite counts before and after treatment. Requires supers off.
- Apiguard (thymol gel) — warm-weather treatment, temperature-sensitive
- Formic Pro (formic acid) — the only treatment labeled for use with supers on under specific conditions
- Api-Bioxal (oxalic acid) — broodless-period treatment, often used late fall or early winter
- Varroxsan (extended-release oxalic acid strips) — newer extended-release option
We also stock the Varroa EasyCheck alcohol-wash monitoring kit. UAEX and the Honey Bee Health Coalition both emphasize that monitoring mite counts before and after treatment — not just treating on a calendar — is the difference between guessing and knowing. That piece of equipment, frankly, deserves more use across the hobby than it currently gets.
Arkansas heat and hot-weather gear
Arkansas summers are hard on bees and beekeepers. We stock Apis Tactical's ventilated jackets and fencing veils because the standard heavy full suits are genuinely uncomfortable for July and August inspections here. Better-ventilated gear means more inspections actually get done, which matters for colony health.
Insulated hive options — our perspective
Standard wooden Langstroth hives have produced honey in Arkansas for generations and remain the most common choice. We stock the expected woodenware — deeps, mediums, frames, foundation — alongside everything else you'd need to run a traditional setup. You can absolutely run a successful apiary with wooden equipment and careful management. Beekeepers have done exactly that for a century here.
That said: we've spent serious time on the research around hive insulation, and it's the one area of beekeeping where we have a clear opinion and want to share it honestly.
What the research shows. A standard 3/4-inch wooden Langstroth hive has an R-value of roughly R1. A high-density polystyrene hive like Apimaye sits around R8 — eight times the insulating value. Derek Mitchell at the University of Leeds Institute of Thermofluids has published peer-reviewed work (Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2023; earlier papers 2015 and 2019) showing thin wooden hives lose four to seven times more heat than the thick-walled tree cavities honey bees naturally choose in the wild. Tom Seeley's extensive field research on feral colonies, documented in The Lives of Bees (Cornell, 2019), confirms that bees strongly prefer and thrive in heavily-insulated tree cavities. A 2019 peer-reviewed study by Erdogan comparing wooden, polystyrene, and composite-insulated hives found meaningful differences in honey production across the groups, with better-insulated hives producing more honey. Beekeeper Bill Hesbach formalized the "condensing colony" concept in 2020 — heavy top insulation with no upper ventilation, allowing moisture to condense at the sides rather than dripping on the cluster.
What the benefits look like in practice. Less heat loss in winter means bees consume less honey maintaining cluster temperature, which leaves more stores available in spring and reduces late-winter starvation risk. Stable temperatures year-round mean colonies spend less energy on thermoregulation and more on brood-rearing and honey production. In summer, insulation works both directions: cooler hive interiors mean less bearding, less water-fanning labor, and more bees available to forage. Faster spring buildup and lower winter losses are consistently reported by beekeepers who make the switch, and the published data supports these patterns across multiple climates.
Our position. We think year-round insulated equipment — specifically the condensing-hive approach paired with sound varroa management and fall feeding — is the most underutilized practice in current American beekeeping. The research is pointing in one direction. Our expectation is that over the next decade more beekeepers will move to insulated equipment as the evidence accumulates. That's why we stock the option.
Insulated versus condensing — a quick clarification. These two terms get used interchangeably and they shouldn't be. An insulated hive (like the Apimaye polystyrene we stock) has thermally insulating walls and base — a real upgrade over standard 3/4-inch pine. A true condensing configuration goes a step further: heavy top insulation with no upper ventilation, so moisture condenses on the side walls rather than dripping on the cluster. Apimaye out of the box is an insulated hive with designed ventilation. Excellent thermal performance, but not a pure condensing setup. To run a true condensing configuration we modify the top. If you want to dig into the specifics — insulation choices, what to do with the inner cover, ventilation tradeoffs — come ask in the shop. A dedicated article on this is on our list.
The honest tradeoff. Insulated polystyrene hives cost substantially more than wooden equipment up front. An Apimaye brood box runs several times the price of a comparable wooden setup. If you factor in reduced winter losses, longer hive lifespan (polystyrene doesn't rot or warp), and the honey production differences documented in the research, the math starts to favor insulation over time. But that's a calculation only you can make for your own operation. If the upfront cost is a deal-breaker right now, we get it — we sell the wooden equipment too, and we'll help you succeed with whichever approach fits your budget.
Ask us about insulated options when you're in. We're happy to walk through the research, the price differences, and our honest view of where we think the hobby is heading.
Fall preparation supplies
Late August through October is when UAEX emphasizes that fall mite management and winter preparation are most critical. We stock entrance reducers, mouse guards, sugar-syrup feeders, and the fall-appropriate varroa treatments because — again quoting UAEX directly — fall management determines spring success. Bees going into winter heavily parasitized rarely make it to March.
Walk in and ask questions
The main reason a physical store matters for beekeeping — versus ordering everything online — is that you can walk in and ask a question. We don't charge for that. We'll tell you honestly when we know an answer and when we don't. If we don't know, we'll usually hand you the phone number of someone who does. We want to be a place where the Saline County beekeeping community can meet and help each other; we're just the convenient meeting point.
Recommended
What Saline County beekeepers buy from us
Common questions from Saline County beekeepers
Do I have to register my hives if I'm just a backyard beekeeper in Benton?
What USDA hardiness zone is Saline County in?
When does the spring nectar flow typically peak around Benton?
Can I keep bees in my backyard inside Benton or Bryant city limits?
How do I find other beekeepers in Saline County?
When should I treat my hives for varroa mites?
What do UAEX and USDA identify as the leading cause of colony loss for Arkansas beekeepers?
Is an insulated hive necessary in Arkansas?
Where exactly is Arkansas Honeyworks, and when are you open?
Come See Us
Stop In and Say Hi
17186 US-70, Benton, AR 72019
Closed Sundays