HINTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — There was a time in West Virginia when coal was truly king. The state's economy was strong. It was reliable work and coal mining families were doing well.

Over time the industry has seen strikes, shutdowns and a mindset that wants to move on to a cleaner power source. That reality put a lot of miners out of work, along with workers from related industries.

It was this financial environment that gave birth to a unique program in 2017, The Appalachian Beekeeping Collective.

"It was created to help families obtain sustainable income in the southern states where the economy took more of a hit during the downturn in the mining industry," explained Mark Lilly head beekeeper for the collective.

You may wonder how beekeeping could possibly be compared with coal mining from a paycheck standpoint. It's a fair question.

"Our biggest advocates are some of the folks who didn't think we'd be around in two or three years, but they joined,” Lilly said. “They started making money and telling their neighbors. The skepticism went away as the checks started showing up."

In 2024, the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective was able to pay several families from McDowell County, the third poorest county in the entire country, the median income for a family of four from nothing but honey production.

With more than 100 partners already in the program, the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective makes it easy for potential new beekeepers. They provide classes and everything you need to start producing honey.

"We provide them with the boxes, with the bees and then our mentors go out and help as they learn the trade." Lilly said.

And who doesn't like honey?

This is the time of year when the hives are brought in and the delicious honey is extracted, filtered and bottled at the production facility located at Camp Waldo just outside of Hinton.

Not only do beekeepers benefit from those busy honey bees, but the environment desperately needs them as pollinators.

It's estimated that bees pollinate a significant portion of global food crops, with estimates ranging from 30% to 35%. This includes a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oil seeds.

"Everybody's garden and apple trees gets pollinated," Lilly said. "I think an even bigger picture in West Virginia, the forest gets pollinated. We've only touched the surface of the amount of honey West Virginia can produce."

You can contact The Appalachian Beekeeping Collective through their webpage and Facebook.