Tour at The Colony in Tyngsboro, MA
2022-05-21 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
BABA members will get an exclusive tour through The Colony’s meadery and Rick will talk about his his experience on commercial beekeeping.https://thecolonyma.com/
This event is for BABA members only, to register please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org
You can become a member here: https://bostonbeekeepers.org/members/

Jamie Ellis | Queen Related Issues
2022-05-05 19:00 - 21:00
ECBA and BABA are hosting Jamie Ellis for a zoom presentation to talk about queen related issues.
If you want to register, please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org. Free to BABA members, $5 fee to non-members.

Heather Mattila | Honey Bee Nutrition
2022-04-05 19:00 - 20:30
More information on this presentation to follow.
To register, please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org.
Presentations are free to all BABA members, and $5 to non-members.

MDAR | State of the State - MA Bee Aware Honey Bee Health Survey, USDA-APHIS Honey Bee Health Survey
2022-03-22 19:00 - 21:00
MDAR State of the State: Update on honeybee health in the Commonwealth
Tuesdays 7:00pm – 9:00 pm
Zoom Meeting ID: 870 4431 9225
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Events are NOT recorded

Rich Morris | BroodMinder - Hive Monitoring Devices
2022-03-17 19:00 - 21:00
Please join us for a presentation from BroodMinder about the state of the art in Electronic Beehive Monitoring. The team at BroodMinder has shipped over 24,000 devices since 2017 and has learned a number of lessons during that time. Rich Morris will share those lessons and will discuss how we observe a growing number of colony behaviors such as brood rearing, swarming, and nectar collection and how, with the help of many citizen scientists, we are getting a better understanding of hive dynamics. We will also be discussing BroodMinder’s newest project underway, real-time varroa mite monitoring.All attendees will receive a discount code!
To register please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org
Free to BABA members, $5 to non-members
Watch a video recording of the presentation.

MDAR | State of the State - MA Beekeeping Laws and Regulations, Spring Into Beekeeping
2022-03-15 19:00 - 21:00

Kim Skyrm | Honey Bee Health Update from MA Beekeepers
2022-02-24 19:00 - 20:30
Kim Skyrm, the Chief Apiary Inspector will be talking to our BABA members!
Join the Chief Apiary Inspector, Kim Skyrm, as he shares a summary of the 2021 Apiary Program highlights, inspection data, and trends in the honey bee health for the Commonwealth.

Steve Repasky | Management of Single Brood Management, Swarm Control, and Honey Production
2022-01-20 19:00 - 20:30

Ang Roell | Sustainable Queen Rearing in the Northeast
2022-01-06 19:00 - 21:00
Join our former BABA President and one of BABA’s founders Ang Roell to learn more about her research (in collaboration with Anarchy Apiaries) on the BEST ways raise queens in the Northeast.Learning to rear your own queens is one of many ways to build a generative apiary. This means more bees adapted to where you are and less chemical inputs in your apiary.
To register, please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org
Presentations are free to all BABA members, and $5 to non-members

MDAR | State of the State - Honey Bee Viruses, Pesticides
2021-12-14 19:00 - 21:00

MDAR | State of the State - Inspection Season Data Summary
2021-12-07 19:00 - 21:00

Winterizing Workshop (In-Person & Zoom)
2021-10-30 10:30 - 12:30
The discussion will begin with a quick review of the physiology of a winter hive, and the bees’ strategies for collecting and storing honey. Then we’ll dive right in with a look at:
Wraps, from Bee-Cozies to tar-paper to straw bales and more. Then we’ll look at;
Insulating above the colony, starting with quilt boxes, rigid insulation, shims, spacers and more. The workshop will also touch on;
Feeding sugar, fondant, and pollen patties in late winter/early spring.
We will then watch a quick demo for how to build and position a quilt box. Quilt boxes are becoming a popular and relatively simple way to keep heat from escaping from the top of the hive while also allowing moisture-rich inside air to wick out.
The Zoom presentation will last 40 minutes, but the workshop will continue at Agricultural Hall. Materials and tools for assembling quilt boxes will be available for sale, as will tar-paper used for wrapping . To save a little money, bring an empty medium super and a piece of fabric larger than the box itself.
Again, the video and discussion portion of this workshop is free to BABA members, and $5 for non-members. The in-person quilt box assembly workshop immediately following the Zoom presentation (~11:15) is $10 per person. All needed materials & supplies will be available for sale.
To register, please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org

Landi Simone - Products of the Hive -- Making and Preparing for the Holidays and Beyond
2021-10-21 19:00 - 20:30
Landi Simone, owner of Gooserock Farm LLC, in northern New Jersey, will share her experience as a commercial beekeeper, turning the products of her ~100 hives into premium varietal honeys, artisan honey spreads, beeswax cosmetics and handmade beeswax soaps. Landi will share her tips and tricks for boosting production and honing marketing strategies, as well as recipes and manufacturing techniques she has fine-tuned over the years. This is a perfect and well-timed lecture for anyone thinking of ramping up production, or simply looking for gifting ideas from the products of your hive.
Landi has been an Eastern Apiculture Society Master Beekeeper since 2004, and serves as Chair of the Master Beekeeper Certification Committee for EAS. She is committed to beekeeping education, teaching an annual beekeeping classes for twenty years, and presenting workshops at both EAS and various bee clubs.
Landi’s practical approach to beekeeping stems in part from her background; she is a retired consulting civil engineer with degrees from Columbia University and Rutgers. She finds her second career in apiculture every bit as challenging as engineering — and a lot more fun.
To register, please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org
(free for BABA members, $5 fee for non-members)

Rachael Bonoan - Love That Dirty Water; Why Do Honey Bees Like Dirty Water?
2021-09-16 19:00 - 20:30
Honey bees tend to prefer dirty water to clean water. Dr. Bonoan investigated how honey bees might supplement their floral diet with minerals from “dirty water,” and what this means for honey bee nutrition throughout the year. She will answer “Why do honey bees like dirty water?”, share some tips on giving your bees a safe “dirty” water source, and briefly discuss her research at Providence College.

BABA Potluck!
2021-08-28 10:00 - 14:00
Gather at the Boston Nature Center gazebo at 10am, Saturday, August 28, and bring food/snacks, drink (no C2H6O), your smoker, show & tell items,…
BABA members (and a guest) are free. Non-BABA members may attend, but are encouraged to join ($20).
There will be games and demos, equipment swaps, a smoker contest (to see who can keep theirs smoking longest), and more.

Swarm Management & Hive Splits workshop
2021-04-26 18:30 - 20:00
Join us for an informal discussion and deep dive into managing hives to avoid swarming. One of the best methods to suppress a colony’s urge to swarm is to simply split your hive. Therefore, the methods and mechanics of hive splits will also be discussed in some detail. We’re hoping that everyone will gain the knowledge and confidence to perform at least one type of split.

BABA Lecture Series; Urban Beekeeping at the Museum of Science
2021-04-22 19:00 - 20:00
For our next lecture, this Thursday, April 22, MoS beekeepers Amelia Green (museum horticulturalist) and Cori Brant (invertebrate keeper), will discuss their work and research at the museum, including:
-A look inside the invertebrate lab and Butterfly Garden;
-Beekeeping in the Museum’s rooftop and observation hives;
-Data collection techniques while beekeeping;
-Urban honeybee welfare and habitat enrichment, including;
-Pollinator gardens and three-season nectar sources;
Their research into some of the more than 200 species of plants their bees collected nectar and pollen from;
Beekeepers and citizen science opportunities; and more.
This one-hour lecture begins at 7:00 p.m.

Watch a Package Install, Live!
2021-04-19 14:00 - 15:00
Watch live as Maureen Coello hives a package of bees into a Langstroth; Additionally, Maureen will discuss several hiving techniques, including hot weather vs. cold weather installs. BABA will try to make a recording available for future viewing.

BABA Open House
2021-04-13 18:30 - 19:30

BABA Open House: Meet, Greet and Chat
2021-03-30 18:30 - 19:30
It’s a party!… kind of. Someday soon we’ll all be able to hang out together (!) but, until then, Zoom over to the online social, see some familiar friends and meet new ones, and bring some fun beekeeping stories and a few of those nagging questions we all have. We’re scheduled to end at 7:30 but,… who knows!
TUESDAY, MARCH 30th
6:30-7:30pm, online (NOT at the Boston Nature Center)
For the Zoom link, send an email to Bill or Maureen at president@bostonbeekeepers.org.

D.I.Y Mason Bee House
2021-03-27 10:00 - 11:00
In this speedy workshop (30 min to one hour), you will learn several ways to make a very simple mason bee house, where and how to hang it, and the ideal time of year to watch these industrious bees as they come and go. Mason bees are extraordinary pollinators, even more efficient than honey bees, and unlike honey bees, most mason bee species are native to North America. Mason bee houses can be hung almost anywhere, allowing everyone to be a beekeeper – a mason bee beekeeper.
SATURDAY, MARCH 27th
10 – 11am, online (NOT at the Boston Nature Center)
To register, send an email to Bill or Maureen at president@bostonbeekeepers.org.

The Secret Life of Bees by Nick Dorian
2021-03-26 18:00 - 19:00
BABA & The Trustees present THE SECRET LIVES OF BEES, a lecture by Nick Dorian, native bee expert and Tufts PhD candidate.
You’ve probably heard the saying “Save the bees!” as news reports of global insect declines flood the media. But do you know which bees need saving? Over 4000 species of bees inhabit North America, and most of them don’t live in hives or make honey. In this online lecture, Nick will teach you all about the natural history and conservation of wild bees. Together, we’ll examine closely the varied lifestyles of bees, their habitat needs, and their intricate relationships with flowering plants and other insects. You’ll come away knowing how to identify and support bees in your own backyard and with a newfound appreciation for the secret lives of these charismatic pollinators.
Nick Dorian is an ecologist, an educator, and a naturalist. He is a PhD student at Tufts University where he studies the population ecology of wild bees and runs the Tufts Pollinator Initiative. He can be reached at nicholas.dorian@tufts.edu or on Twitter @bee_searcher. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Boston Area Beekeepers Association.
To register, send an email to Bill or Maureen at president@bostonbeekeepers.org.

Transitioning Our Hives From Deep Winter To High Spring by Ken Warchol
2021-02-18 19:00 - 20:30
Zoom Meet Up – email president@bostonbeekeepers.org by Thursday noon for confirmation email with login code. $5.00 fee for non-members.

Club Meeting - CANCELLED
2019-10-16 19:30 - 21:00
MEETING IS CANCELLEDSORRY FOR THE LATE NOTICE – JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT ONE
Join us for a club meeting where we will discuss beekeeping issues that may be currently affecting you as a local beekeeper, new club events, updates on our club apiaries and the occasional guest speaker. Members attend club meetings for free, for more information see our membership page here.

Urban Agricultural Fair
2019-10-12 00:00 - 23:59
Download this event to your calendar here: #_EVENTICALLINK

Film showing: The Pollinators
2019-10-09 00:00
Year: 2019Genre: Documentary – Environmental
Classification: Check the classification
Producer: Sally Roy, Peter Nelson and Michael Reuter
Director: Peter Nelson
Thousands of semi-trailers crisscross the country in the dead of night delivering goods through the darkness to stores, warehouses and factories nationwide. But some of them carry an unsuspected and highly unusual cargo. Honey bees. Tens of billions of them are transported back and forth from one end of the United States to the other in a unique annual migration that’s indispensable to the feeding of America. One out of every three bites we eat, the growth of almost all our fruits, nuts and vegetables, would be impossible without pollination from bees. A new documentary feature, The Pollinators, directed by Peter Nelson and produced by Sally Roy, Nelson and Michael Reuter, presents the fascinating and untold story. And warns that the bees are in serious danger.
Details at tickets

Club Meeting
2019-08-27 19:30 - 21:00
Join us for a club meeting where we will discuss beekeeping issues that may be currently affecting you as a local beekeeper, new club events, updates on our club apiaries and the occasional guest speaker. Members attend club meetings for free, for more information see our membership page here.

Meet The Beekeeper
2019-08-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2019-08-17 10:00 - 12:00
Spend time with a beekeeper in the Boston Area Beekeepers Association’s apiary (bee yard) at MassAudubon’s beautiful Boston Nature Center. Visitors will don beekeeper jackets and hoods, and work right alongside the beekeeper as they open their hive, look for honey, young developing bees, and a healthy queen. You will learn basic beekeeping techniques for how to grow and nurture happy & healthy beehives. There’s always plenty of time to ask questions, and if all is well and the bees are having a good day, you might even get a chance to hold some honeycomb covered with bees!
Sessions run from 10am to noon, and begin at the Boston Nature Center’s main building, where we start with a close look at the basic layout of a bee colony inside an indoor, glassed-in ‘observation hive.’
Meet the Beekeeper is suitable for all ages, but everyone is strongly encouraged to act reasonably calm when in the apiary; while bees rarely sting, it does happen, especially when they feel threatened. If you are highly allergic to stings, or if you don’t know whether you are allergic, then it is best if you either watch from a distance (+20 feet) or not attend the outdoor session in the apiary.

Fight the Mite!
2019-08-17 09:00 - 16:00
Learn how to FIGHT THE MITE! This full-day, interactive workshop, co-hosted by the MDAR Apiary Team and UMass Extension, will leave you prepared to control Varroa in your hives. It will include:
–Vital information on VARROA LIFE HISTORY AND BIOLOGY
–INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) basics, considerations for Varroa mites and opportunity to create your own IPM plan
–Introduction to and hands-on demos of SAFETY EQUIPMENT needed when applying miticides
–Introduction to and hands-on demos showing how to safely APPLY MITICIDES AND NON-CHEMICAL CONTROLS OPTIONS
–Participants will be challenged with real world beekeeper driven case studies, in which they will make mite management decisions by creating an IPM PLAN and demonstrate to class
The cost of the workshop is $50. Please pay at the door with cash or check. Included in your registration:
— Bee-themed T-SHIRT
— Varroa mite sampling jar
— Varroa mite IPM brochure and other related information to assist you in sustainable management
(the price has increased from our previous workshop to cover the cost of the new location!)
Please bring lunch, or plan to purchase it at the UMass Mt. Ida Dining Hall.
To Register, click here.
Email Hannah Whitehead at hwhitehead@umass.edu with any questions.
