Mark H. Creighton
Apiary Inspector and Master Beekeeper
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), established in 1875, is the first agricultural experiment station in the United States. The main mission of the CAES is research. Programs also exist to educate the public and to transfer new findings to people trying to solve agricultural, public health and environmental problems.
The apiary program is located within the Office of the State Entomologist and the Deputy State Entomologist in our Plant Regulatory Office. Our apiary program is administered by Mark H. Creighton, our state Apiary Inspector and Master Beekeeper.
Apiary Inspections
In 2020, Connecticut had over 700 registered beekeepers maintaining over 9,000 hives, During the 2020 season, 909 hives were inspected at 98 apiaries. Unofficial estimates indicate that over 7,000 packages of honey bees were imported into Connecticut for new beekeepers and to replace Winter losses. Varroa mite infestation and the viral complex associated with varroa mite infestation was the primary reason for colony mortality.
Outreach
Our state Bee Inspector is a regular speaker at Connecticut’s three Beekeeping Associations, annual Bee Schools, Garden Clubs and provides bee education seminars at our annual Plant Science Day that attracts over one thousand visitors. Our apiary program also supports The Hives for Heroes project for empowering veterans through beekeeping, and is working towards establishing an apiary at the local Veterans Hospital complex.