From Fascination to Business: How Justin Orders Built Queens Orders Honey in Huntersville
Discover the incredible world of beekeeping with Justin Orders, founder of Queens Orders Honey, as he shares his journey from hobbyist to full-time beekeeper serving the Lake Norman community.
When Justin Orders first stepped into a beehive seven years ago, he was immediately captivated. That single moment of fascination transformed into Queens Orders Honey, a thriving beekeeping business in Huntersville, North Carolina that's changing how people think about bees, honey, and pollinator conservation.
In this episode of the We Are Lake Norman podcast, host Ryan Webber sits down with Justin to explore the multifaceted world of professional beekeeping and how one person's passion became a mission to give bees a voice in the Lake Norman area.
The Birth of Queens Orders Honey
Justin's love for insects started in childhood. While his friends played team sports, he was flipping over rocks to discover what lived underneath. This early fascination with the natural world led him to pursue entomology (insect biology) at UNC Charlotte. Though his academic journey took an unexpected turn, his passion for insects never wavered.
In 2017, after a life-changing decision to get sober, Justin found himself at a crossroads. He volunteered at Discovery Place Nature, where they maintained beehives, and something clicked. "I just bought a hive from someone and it just became so natural," Justin recalls. Despite struggles that first year, he knew he had found his calling.
By 2021, Justin officially launched Queens Orders Honey, creating a business model that goes far beyond simply selling honey.
More Than Just Honey: The Hive Host Program
The cornerstone of Justin's business is his innovative Hive Host Program—a service that brings the benefits of beekeeping to Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and throughout the Lake Norman region without requiring any work from the property owner.
How the Hive Host Program Works
Think of it like having a gardener for your beehives. Justin sets up professionally maintained hives on your property, takes care of all the beekeeping needs, and you get to enjoy:
Fresh, hyperlocal honey from your own backyard
Improved pollination for your vegetable and flower gardens
Educational opportunities to observe and learn about bees
Environmental benefits of supporting pollinator populations
"I wanted to create a business, an opportunity for people to experience that fascination for themselves," Justin explains. "Once you get used to it and you start seeing how docile they are, how calm they usually are when we're out in the hives, it's just a complete game changer."
The Science Behind Bees and Your Garden
Why Pollinators Matter in Lake Norman
We're currently experiencing a global decline in insect and pollinator species due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. This is happening right here in the Charlotte and Lake Norman area as development continues to expand.
Honeybees are among the most successful pollinators in the animal kingdom. According to Justin, "About a third to a quarter of the food we eat every single day is produced from the pollination efforts, specifically by honeybees."
When you introduce a hive to your Huntersville or Cornelius property, you're:
Making up for the lack of native pollinators
Dramatically improving fruit and vegetable production
Supporting the broader ecosystem
Creating a more sustainable environment
The Local Honey Advantage
One of the most compelling reasons to source honey locally in the Lake Norman area is its potential health benefits. Justin recommends starting to eat local honey in January or February—about a tablespoon to two tablespoons daily.
"By the time the allergy event hits, you're acclimated to the pollen a little bit better," Justin explains. The small amount of pollen in raw, local honey can help your body adjust to the allergens in your specific environment.
Some doctors are even prescribing local honey or bee pollen to patients with severe allergies. Raw honey is also scientifically proven to be as effective as—or better than—commercial cough syrup for suppressing coughs.
Beyond the Hive Host Program: Multiple Revenue Streams
Honey Sales in Charlotte and Lake Norman
While you can find Queens Orders Honey at select stores in Cornelius and around Charlotte, Justin primarily sells directly to customers. You can:
Order online at queensordershoney.com
Pick up from his Huntersville location
Arrange local delivery with a small shipping fee
Visit during pickup to see the bees in action
"You'll now soon discover [your honey] is unique to any other yard around you," Justin notes. "It has different forage, different flowers. The honey has a different taste and different color."
Education and Presentations
Justin offers multiple educational opportunities for the Lake Norman community:
For Adults:
Intro to Beekeeping classes through Skill Pop in Charlotte
Hands-on training for aspiring beekeepers
Apiary tours at his Huntersville location
For Children:
Elementary school presentations with live observation hives
Homeschool program tours
Interactive experiences where kids can get suited up and observe bees up close
Bee Removal Services
Justin also provides bee removal services for the Lake Norman area, safely relocating bees from trees and homes rather than exterminating them.
The Reality of Beekeeping: Stings and Swarms
Getting Stung is Part of the Job
"I get stung pretty much every day," Justin admits with a laugh. "On average, throughout the years I've done this, it's been about an everyday thing."
But it's not what you might think. When Justin gets stung dozens of times in a day, it's usually during bee removals or other challenging situations—not routine hive maintenance. His own bees are generally much calmer.
"The bees don't want to sting me unless they absolutely have to," Justin explains. When a honeybee stings, its stinger becomes dislodged from its body, and the bee dies shortly after. "I want to think that the bees don't want to sting me unless they absolutely have to, because that's death to them."
Understanding Bee Behavior
Bees can have "off days" just like humans. Young bees tend to be more territorial—Justin calls them "teenage bees" that are "grumpy" and "just not very happy." Weather, season, and hive conditions all affect bee temperament.
Spring is particularly busy because that's when swarms occur. When a queen has laid so many eggs that the hive runs out of room, she'll take about half the population and fly off to establish a new colony. "That is basically their way of repopulating," Justin explains. Managing and preventing swarms is one of the key challenges beekeepers face.
Queen Breeding and Hive Management
One of the most fascinating aspects of Justin's work is breeding queens with specific genetic traits. Just like livestock, bees can be bred for desirable characteristics:
Docility - calmer, less aggressive bees
Parasite resistance - better ability to handle mites and diseases
Productivity - more efficient honey production
Overwintering ability - better survival through North Carolina winters
Justin starts new hives in March or April with these specially bred queens, then places them in clients' yards throughout the Lake Norman area once they're established.
Conservation: Giving Bees a Voice
While Queens Orders Honey is a business, Justin's deeper mission is conservation and advocacy.
"What I really love the most is being able to help these insects, being able to advocate for them because they do not have a voice," Justin shares passionately. "They cannot speak for themselves. And most of the time, people don't want to hear it."
It's Not Just About Honeybees
Justin emphasizes an important point that many people miss: "Save the bees" isn't just about honeybees. While honeybees are important and have been bred for agriculture (apiculture), there are thousands of native bee species that are equally—if not more—critical to our ecosystem.
Many native bees are solitary, living underground or in specific habitats. When we "steamroll it all over and place it up with condos and apartments," as Justin puts it, we destroy these irreplaceable habitats.
What Lake Norman Residents Can Do
Justin offers practical advice for supporting pollinators in Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and throughout the Charlotte area:
1. Plant Native Species
Stop planting invasive species and ornamentals that don't support pollinators. While magnolias, azaleas, camellias, and mums look beautiful, they produce little to no nectar or pollen. Instead, research and plant native North Carolina species that bees actually use.
2. Leave Your Leaves
Instead of bagging leaves and sending them to landfills, leave them in your yard. "It may kill some grass in the process, but also what it's going to do is going to give a lot of these pollinators, all these insects, a place to hibernate or hunker down for the winter," Justin explains.
3. Don't Cut Everything Back
Those dried-up plants you want to remove? Many pollinators burrow into them to stay dormant until spring. Leave them standing through winter.
4. Embrace Imperfection
"Our neighbors who want their pristine, perfect lawns probably going to hate us for it," Justin jokes. "But you're going to be so much happier in the boom you will see as far as the insect populations, the beneficial insect populations in your yard next year."
The Future of Queens Orders Honey
As Justin enters his off-season (when bees are essentially sleeping through winter), he's planning for growth while staying true to his mission.
"I love business and I love growing my business and I love money and I love success," Justin admits. "But what I really love the most is being able to help these insects, being able to advocate for them."
His focus remains on:
Expanding the Hive Host Program throughout Lake Norman
Increasing educational opportunities for both children and adults
Partnering with conservation groups
Giving pollinators a positive voice in the community
"It's not just about honeybees," Justin emphasizes. "It's all bees. It's bees that we don't even have an understanding for because they're solitary, they live under certain conditions and certain grounds and certain areas."
Experience Beekeeping in Huntersville
Whether you're interested in the Hive Host Program, want to purchase local honey, or are curious about learning beekeeping yourself, Queens Orders Honey offers something for everyone in the Lake Norman community.
Justin's next Intro to Beekeeping class is coming up soon through Skill Pop in Charlotte, and he welcomes visitors to his Huntersville apiary for tours and honey pickup.
"If you do that, you can actually see the bees if it's a good day," Justin promises.
Connect with Queens Orders Honey
Website: https://www.queensordershoney.com/
Instagram: @queensordershoney
Location: Huntersville, NC (serving Lake Norman, Cornelius, Davidson, and Charlotte areas)
Listen to the Full Episode
Hear the complete conversation between Ryan Webber and Justin Orders on the We Are Lake Norman podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.
About the We Are Lake Norman Podcast:
Hosted by Ryan Webber of Webber Marketing, We Are Lake Norman features interviews with interesting people, local celebrities, and small business owners in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina. Each episode shares compelling stories from the community while supporting local businesses through SEO-optimized content and backlinks.
Connect with Ryan Webber:
Website: https://www.webbermarketing.com/
Instagram: @ryanwebbermarketing
Email: [email protected]
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