Boston Area Beekeepers Association

Beekeeping 101: A Workshop for the Bee-curious!
2014-07-20 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
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Instructors: Stephanie Elson and Sadie RichardsDid you know that you can keep bees in your backyard? Even small urban yards (or roof tops!) can play host to a hive of honey bees, and the folks who tend them can enjoy honey, beeswax, pollen and of course, the bees themselves. In fact, a healthy hive can produce several gallons of delicious, healthful honey every year.
In this three-hour workshop, you will learn what it takes to keep a busy, productive hive of bees happy! Learn where to get your bees, how to set up and maintain the hive, and what types of activities and time commitment are required throughout the year.
This is a beginner’s course, so no previous knowledge is required. The workshop will include lots of time for Q&A, and the opportunity for hands-on interaction with bees in the apiary (so wear or bring long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes!) Rain date: Sunday, July 27th, 3 – 5 pm

Introduction to Observation Hives (part 2)
2014-07-12 09:00 - 12:00
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Instructors: Jeff Murray and Sadie RichardsDid you know that you could safely keep a small colony of honeybees in your home to unobtrusively observe at any hour of the day or night? Come participate in one or both of these hands-on workshops to learn how! In Part 1 of this workshop we will gain an understanding of what observation hives are and how they can be designed to suit different needs, then we will construct one together under the tutelage of Jeff Murray, founder of a Boston-based nonprofit called Classroom Hives, which has been placing observation honeybee hives in K-12 classrooms since 2001.
In Part 2 of the workshop we will discuss essential techniques for successfully managing observation hives throughout all seasons of the year, and we will also install honeybees into the completed observation hive we built in the previous session. One need not have kept bees before to construct and tend an observation hive, so all are welcome!

Introduction to Observation Hives (Part 1)
2014-06-28 09:00 - 12:00
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Instructors: Jeff Murray and Sadie Richards
Did you know that you could safely keep a small colony of honeybees in your home to unobtrusively observe at any hour of the day or night? Come participate in one or both of these hands-on workshops to learn how!
In Part 1 of this workshop we will gain an understanding of what observation hives are and how they can be designed to suit different needs, then we will construct one together under the tutelage of Jeff Murray, founder of a Boston-based nonprofit called Classroom Hives, which has been placing observation honeybee hives in K-12 classrooms since 2001.
In Part 2 of the workshop we will discuss essential techniques for successfully managing observation hives throughout all seasons of the year, and we will also install honeybees into the completed observation hive we built in the previous session. One need not have kept bees before to construct and tend an observation hive, so all are welcome!

Movie Night - Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?
2014-06-27 20:00 - 22:00
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Join neighbors and friends at the BNC to view this cinematic adventure outdoors! Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, director of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this engaging and ultimately uplifting film weaves an unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk, and Vandana Shiva. Together they reveal both the problems and the solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. Free.This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council administrated by the Mayor’s office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events.

Tour de Hives 2014
2014-06-21 09:00 - 15:00
The 4th Annual Boston Tour de Hives will engage, educate and enchant you with a first-hand look at honeybees in hives across the city, and will be guided by the humans who tend them. On Saturday June 21st come celebrate the bees on this auspicious Summer Solstice during National Pollinator Week! Hives in North Cambridge, Fresh Pond, and Newton will be featured on this year’s tour, which you will visit by bicycle.

Highlights of this year’s tour include (not necessarily in this order)….Site A: tending warre hives at an urban elementary school, chat with teachersSite B: honeybees and fruit at an assisted living facility, speak with residents and their beekeeperBYO PICNIC LUNCH: Featuring Commonwheels Bicycle Collective with a free DIY bike-maintenance skill share and Follow the Honey with a free honey tastingSite C: backyard beekeeping, hear from a Newton family about their home honey productionSite D: Local bee-friendly flora and chemical-free practices at Fresh Pond ReservoirWe will gather together at John F. Kennedy Park in Cambridge at 9:00am (near the intersection of JFK Ave & Memorial Drive), divide into 4 groups and visit 2 local apiaries, convening as a large group for lunch before splitting off into 4 groups again for the final 2 sites. At each site, you will have the chance to hear from local beekeepers and meet their bees! The total ride will be ~15 miles, broken up by hive visits, snacks and lunch (no single leg will be longer than 5 miles).
Please bring a bag lunch, bicycle, helmet, and water bottle!
Don’t have a bike? No problem! Rent one from Urban AdvenTours at a discounted price of $20 when you mention Tour de Hives. A one-day, $20 rental is good for 24 hours. Bikes can be picked up on June 20th during UA’s store hours and dropped off after the Tour during their hours. UA is located at 103 Atlantic Ave Boston, MA 02110.
The registration fee of $20 covers snacks and an event T-shirt (organic & hand-printed by a local artist). Pre-register today if you want to be sure to get a spot on the tour (and a T-shirt)! While no one will bee denied TdH access for lack of funds, once we reach capacity we will regrettably have to close registration. Please contact us if the suggested registration fee of $20 is prohibitive for you. Any proceeds raised will bee reinvested in education & outreach initiatives by the Boston Area Beekeepers Association (formerly Boston Beekeepers Club).
Many thanks to this year’s Supporting Sponsors!*Follow the Honey*Ferris Wheels Bike Shop*Boston’s Best Bees*Maxant Honey Processing Equipment*Moonlight Meadery*Whole Foods
Our sponsors’ contributions include gift certificates that will be raffled off at lunch. As part of the registration cost, each registrant will receive one raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets cost $2 each. You must purchase and enter your raffle tickets at registration, so plan to arrive early!- Two “Romance Packages” from Moonlight Meadery- One Broadway Bicycle School class- Hubway one year membership

Pollinator Week
2014-06-16 00:00 - 23:59
Seven years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown to be an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. The growing concern for pollinators is a sign of progress, but it is vital that we continue to maximize our collective effort. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture signs the proclamation every year.Pollinating animals, including bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and others, are vital to our delicate ecosystem, supporting terrestrial wildlife, providing healthy watershed, and more. Therefore, Pollinator Week is a week to get the importance of pollinators’ message out to as many people as possible. It’s not too early to start thinking about an event at your school, garden, church, store, etc. Pollinators positively effect all our lives- let’s SAVE them and CELEBRATE them!

Dr. Alex Lu Discusses Pollen Findings From 2013
2014-05-18 14:00 - 15:00
Essex County Beekeepers Association monthly meeting at the Fairgrounds Bee Building. Speaker Dr. Alex Lu, Harvard discusses findings on the pollen and honey collection that was done locally in 2013.More information is available in their newsletter.

Installing a Swarm into a Warre Hive
2014-05-18 12:00 - 14:00
Cambridge beekeeper-educator-Warre hive master Mel Gadd, is installing a shook swarm from “tough love” Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries Sunday, May 18, 2014 ‘tween noon & 2pm at Follow The Honey. Buzz by to see how it’s done on the Nectar Deck. See through the windows or bring your veil. Follow the Honey will post closer to ETA on FB. In meantime, prepping Warre [from Buzzing Rooster] bars with first drawn lemon beeswax from Todd Hardie.

Hive Opening at Boston Natural Areas Network
2014-05-17 10:00 - 14:00
13th Annual Spring Planting Festival & Perennial Divide at City Natives.Celebrate spring with plants and gardeners from all over Boston.Bring plants to swap and containers to carry them home! You’re invited to exchange, donate or simply take home plants.
Shop for City Natives’ heirloom vegetable seedlings, native trees, shrubs and perennials. Stock up on compost, organic fertilizer, soil amendments and more.
For more information on this event call BNAN at 617-542-7696 or email info@bostonnatural.org.
