In 1890, W. L. Coggshall was the largest beekeeper in the world, managing more than 3,000 hives across 15 locations stretching from Cayuga Lake to Skaneateles, centered around his home in Groton, New York.

According to the Coggshall’s beekeeping philosophy, success in beekeeping depended on three essential factors: the quality of the location, the skill of the men, and the condition of the hives. With prime apiary sites secured, Coggshall employed a select group of workers trained to perform precise hive manipulations according to his detailed instructions. These innovative practices were widely reported in contemporary beekeeping journals, making the “Coggshall Method” well known throughout the beekeeping community.

On August 25, 1899, at the height of the buckwheat honey flow, Coggshall’s operation was harvesting between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds of honey per day, all accomplished by hand. By 1904, Tompkins County had become the leading honey-producing county in New York State, with an annual output of 236,000 pounds.

Coggshall was also a pioneer in the concept of overwintering bees. To protect his colonies from harsh northern winters, he transported hives to Florida and Arizona, allowing them to survive and return strong for the next season.

Information from”The Golden Age of Beekeeping” by Peter Loring Borst; The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture: A Cyclopaedia of Everything Pertaining to …” by Amos Ives Root, E. R. Root ( 1917 )