NJ’s State Apiarist on the Importance of Beekeeping

Beekeeping has been around since nearly the dawn of human civilization, but how does one take up the practice in the Garden State? Ask Meghan McConnell, New Jersey’s official state apiarist (or beekeeper).

It may not be the best-known position in Trenton, but it holds quite a bit of influence over New Jersey’s state insect, the honeybee. McConnell’s job is partly regulatory and partly about educating the public about beekeeping and the importance of the buzzing little insects to our state.

Given New Jersey’s nickname of “the Garden State,” it should be no wonder that bees are vital here in multiple ways. A lot of our important crops, especially blueberries and cranberries, need pollination from our honeybees, says McConnell, who has been the state apiarist since 2019, noting that New Jersey is one of the top ten exporting states of both fruits.

Surprisingly, more than 95 percent of honeybees in New Jersey are owned by only 5 percent of beekeepers, which are large, commercial operations. But backyard beekeepers, including retirees, enthusiasts and experts, make up the rest of the group—making it that much more important for experts such as McConnell to be available for advice and guidance. Beekeepers or wannabes can find help online or by calling the Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, at 609-406-6939.

McConnell got hooked on beekeeping as a grad student at the University of Maryland. “I applied for, like, a hundred-plus different jobs, couldn’t find anything, so I started volunteering at a spider research lab,” she says. An opportunity soon arose with a professor studying bees, and McConnell leapt at the opportunity.

From there, McConnell never looked back. Soon after, she set her sights on state apiarist jobs to pursue her passion. She loves the variety the job provides. “I can go out in the morning and teach kids, or I can go out and work with pesticide inspectors who wanna learn more about bees…I like it because you get to do a little bit of everything,” she says.

Beekeeping in the Garden State has seen an uptick in the past 15 years, which McConnell attributes to public awareness of the global decline of bee populations in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Additionally, the rise of the urban farming movement has drawn people to more sustainable food options. As the most densely populated state, New Jersey is popular for urban beekeeping. “We want this cool hobby or side business, but what do we do if we live in a really large city and there isn’t space?” McConnell says. In fact, New Jersey’s beekeeping regulations were changed in 2018 to allow beekeepers to have more colonies, encouraging more city dwellers to start up rooftop colonies.

McConnell says that her biggest challenge is providing proper education to both civilians and beekeepers alike. “We want to have enjoyable spaces for everyone…I think just educating our neighbor is important, saying, ‘Hey, I have these bees, they’re helping your garden.’ It’s a collaborative thing.”