Jean Miller | Bees & Beekeeping in Thailand - "Giants, Dwarfs and Some Like Ours: Honey Bee Diversity”
2022-11-03 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
 The world’s distribution of honey bee species is discussed highlighting Thailand as a hotspot of diversity where four native and one non-native species live. (Apis dorsata, A. florea, A. andreniformis, A. cerana, A.mellifera)
 The three branches of honey bees is defined – Cavity Nesters, Giants, and Dwarfs
 Size comparisons, behavior characteristics, and honey production of the various species is presented.
 “Shimmering” video by the Giants, Apis dosata. Looks like honey bees doing “The Wave”. Very cool!
 How honey hunters obtain honey from feral hives.
 How two species are managed (A. cerana and A. mellifera).
 “Bee trees” – Where several open nesters (A. dorsata) create their colonies on one tree.
 A brief introduction to stingless honey bees (Trigona species)
 A little about Tropilaelaps clareae – Potential threat on the horizon?
 Mites and viruses that affect Thai honey bee species.
 General information about Thai beekeepers and how they manage (or hunt) honey bees, as well as sell hive products.
 Land Leeches! (Not a honey bee but a surprising encounter in Thailand!)
Jean Miller
Beekeeper since 2014.
Cornell University Master Beekeeper since 2021.
Member of following beekeeper organizations:
Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association
New Jersey Beekeepers Association
Eastern Apiculture Society
Have traveled twice to Kenya to study beekeeping there with Maryann Frazier of Penn
State. In May/June of 2022, went to Thailand with Dr. Jamie Ellis and Dr. Cameron Jack
(U. of FL) to study beekeeping and the diversity of honey bees in Southeast Asia.
Rutgers University Master Gardener since 2012. Have logged over 1600 volunteer
hours. Well versed in deer resistant plants that provide nectar and pollen for bees.
Was a substitute teacher in the Flemington area for 20 years. Have taught all grade
levels and all core subjects but prefered teaching Math and Science in grades 6 th -12 th
Process Control Manager for Nestle’s Freehold manufacturing facility (in my former life,
that is before motherhood.)
Graduated with high honors from Lehigh University with a BS in Industrial Engineering
(1985)
I’m also an avid life-long naturalist and have visited and hiked in over 50 National Parks.
Also enjoy traveling internationally (Ecuador {Galapagos Islands}, Peru, Iceland, Kenya,
Tanzania, Egypt, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand…).
To register please email president@bostonbeekeepers.org. This presentation is free to BABA members and $5 to non-members. The zoom link will be sent the evening prior to the presentation. See you there!
You’re a BABA member, so you don’t need to pay to attend this meeting, but you do need RSVP. You can do so with this button:
RSVP with a Ticket Purchase

Lynn Adler | Disease Where you Dine: The role of floral traits in pollinator-pathogen interactions
2023-01-12 19:00 - 21:00
To Register email: president@bostonbeekeepers.org
Free to all BABA members!
Lynn Adler is an evolutionary ecologist who studies how floral resources affect pollinator health. She is a professor in the Biology Department at UMass Amherst, where she has worked since 2004. Prior to that, she was a professor in Biology at Virginia Tech, after receiving her PhD from UC Davis in 2000.
Flowers provide food for bees, but also may provide medicines and serve as sites of disease transmission. Many pollinator species are declining due to a range of factors including parasites and pathogens, but the potential for specific plant species to affect pollinator-pathogen interactions is largely unrecognized. I will present our discovery that consuming sunflower pollen dramatically and consistently reduced infection by a gut pathogen in the common eastern bumble bee, and show current work evaluating the mechanisms and consequences of this interaction for multiple bee species.

Mass Audubon | Insects in Winter
2023-01-28 13:00 - 14:30
Insects in Winter(This is not an event organized or hosted by BABA)
When: January 28, 2023 (Saturday) 1:00-2:30pm
Location: Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Mattapan
500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan MA 02126
Audience: Adult
FREE to BABA Members!!!!
Registration is required.
This program will start with a general introduction to insects; to learn what distinguishes bees from other insects. We will examine some specimens and talk about insect life cycles and where they go in winter. Finally, we will take a short walk to look for overwintering insects around the BNC.
Please Note: This is both an indoor and outdoor program; please dress accordingly. In the case of inclement weather, a make up date will be provided.
PLEASE NOTE: This program will be conducted in accordance with current Municipal, State, and Mass Audubon Covid-19 protocols. Participants are required to wear a face covering indoors and follow social distancing guidelines.
This program is free if you are a member of Dot Rx. Please email bnccamp@massaudubon.org to register.

For more information and registration: https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/boston-nature-center/85369-insects-in-winter

Jean Miller | Beekeeping in Kenya: History, Culture, Tradition, and Modern Practices, Current Problems and What We Can Learn
2023-02-09 19:00 - 21:00
To register email: president@bostonbeekeepers.orgFree to all BABA members!
Jean Miller has been a beekeeper since 2014 and became a Cornell University Master Beekeeper in 2021.
Presentation addresses:
Honey History and Culture in Kenya
Difference between our Western honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) and African honey bee
(Apis mellifera scutellata)
Hive types used in Kenya
Honey harvesting
How to thwart a honey badger
Pests and Diseases
Why African bees tolerate varroa better than our honey bees
Elephant and Bee Project (Using hive fences to protect crops as well as elephants)
Keeping Stingless Honey Bees

Mass Audubon | Introduction to Native Bees
2023-02-11 13:00 - 14:30
Introduction to Native Bees(This is not an event organized or hosted by BABA)
February 11, 2023 (Saturday) 1:00-2:30pm
Location: Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Mattapan
Audience: Adult
FREE to BABA Members!!!!
Registration is required.
Bees are amazing pollinators, indicator species, and often misunderstood. This program will discuss native bees and their life cycles, followed by an introductory look at all seven bee families. Bees face many challenges and threats. Those will be discussed, as well as what we can do to help.
PLEASE NOTE: This program will be conducted in accordance with current Municipal, State, and Mass Audubon Covid-19 protocols. Participants are required to wear a face covering indoors and follow social distancing guidelines.
This program is free if you are a member of Dot Rx. Please email bnccamp@massaudubon.org to register.
For more information and registration:
https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/boston-nature-center/85371-introduction-to-native-bees

Mass Audubon | Solitary Bees and Bee Hotels
2023-02-25 13:00 - 14:30
Solitary Bees and Bee Hotels(This is not an event organized or hosted by BABA)
February 25, 2023 (Saturday) 1:00-2:30pm
Location: Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Mattapan
Audience: Adult
FREE to BABA Members!!!!
This program will start by discussing bee external anatomy and observing specimens. We will learn about solitary bee life cycles, threats native bees face, and how to help. We will take a special look at the family Megachilidae (mason and leaf cutter bees) before moving into our native bee house building activity. Supplies will be provided.
Please Note: This is both an indoor and outdoor program; please dress accordingly. In the case of inclement weather, a make up date will be provided.
PLEASE NOTE: This program will be conducted in accordance with current Municipal, State, and Mass Audubon Covid-19 protocols. Participants are required to wear a face covering indoors and follow social distancing guidelines.
This program is free if you are a member of Dot Rx. Please email bnccamp@massaudubon.org to register.
For more information and registration:
https://www.massaudubon.org/program-catalog/boston-nature-center/85370-solitary-bees-and-bee-hotels

Alison McAfee PhD | The Perilous Life of a Drone
2023-03-23 19:00 - 21:00
To register email:president@bostonbeekeepers.org
Free to all BABA members!!
The perilous life of a drone
Drone honey bees are woefully understudied. An abundance of healthy, high-quality drones are necessary to produce top-notch queens, but we have a very poor understanding of how stressors like extreme temperatures and pesticide exposure affect adult drone survival, and physiology. We evaluated drone and worker stress tolerance and measured levels of common stress-response proteins after exposure to pesticides. We also tested the heat tolerance of drones from different genetic stocks (Australian, Ukrainian, and Californian) and species (honey bees and Bombus impatiens bumble bees). On aggregate, the results we obtained were not at all what we expected, and hint at drones having more complex stress tolerance mechanisms than we give them credit for.
Short Bio: Alison completed her Ph.D. in Genome Science and Technology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and is now a postdoc at UBC and North Carolina State University. She is a L’Oreal For Women in Science Research Excellence Fellow and her research has been reported by Scientific American, National Geographic, and CBC, among other venues. When she’s not doing research or writing magazine articles, she enjoys wilderness hiking, fishing, and training horses with her dressage coach.

Nathan Reid | Lessons Learned in Beekeeping - Things I'm Passionate About
2023-04-20 19:00 - 21:00
EAS Master Beekeeper 21′
Head Beekeeper at the Best Bees Co.
Nate grew up in Maryland helping to take care of a few hives in his backyard. Taking that experience with him to college, he interned with the Entomology Dept at UMD College Park for 2 years. From there Nate would go on to catch queens in HI, shadow in Marla Spivaks’s lab, and start a teaching apiary at his local club, the Central MD Beekeeper’s Assn. Then in 2017 Nate went “full scale commercial” as he would like to say, managing several thousand hives for pollination and honey production. From backyard keep, to commercial management, and now doing research with Best Bees in Boston and around the country.
Things I’m passionate about – Lessons Learned
Nice to meet you, I’m Nate and I’ve made all the mistakes you can make when it comes to taking care of honey bees. Sometimes those lessons have come at great cost, while others are minor in nature; but both types will shape your ‘style’ of beekeeping. My hope is that you will glean something from my point of view that benefits your style. Topics will include, Feeding Schedule, Queen Introduction, and Hive Management. But I won’t be speaking the whole time so please bring a story with a question to share!

Andrew Coté | HONEY AND VENOM: Urban Beekeeping
2023-05-04 19:00 - 21:00
Andrew Coté is an author and a fourth generation beekeeper, Andrew Coté, the owner of Andrew’s Local Honey, has been a pioneer in urban beekeeping. Andrew has hives all across the greater NY area from Westchester to the Waldorf Astoria in Midtown Manhattan. His raw honey has an incredible flavor that varies slightly with the seasons, depending on what is in bloom nearby.Confession of an urban beekeeper.
Considered an “industry legend” by The New York Times, Andrew Coté has one of the most intriguing, challenging, and unique jobs in New York City—maintaining millions of honey bees atop some of the city’s most iconic buildings. His apiaries have crowned the Waldorf Astoria and the Museum of Modern Art; reside on the North Lawn of the United Nations; reign above stores, hotels, restaurants, schools, churches, and synagogues; and are situated in community gardens and even cemeteries, throughout the five boroughs.
In this debut collection, Coté takes readers with him on his daily apiary adventures over the course of a year, in the city and across the globe. Here, among his many duties, he is called to capture swarms that have clustered on fire hydrants, air-conditioning units, or street-vendor umbrellas. Annually, he travels with his father to regions like remote Fijian islands, rural Uganda, Haiti, Ecuador, or Iraq with his organization, Bees Without Borders, where he teaches beekeepers how to increase their honey yield and income via beekeeping endeavors.
To attend the event use one of of the options below. If you’re a BABA member, just RSVP. If you’re not a member, use the option below to pay the $5 fee online, and you’ll be registered.
If you’d like to become a BABA member and attend all our events, including this one, for free, please click this link and join for $20/year. BABA is a 501(c)(3) and as such up to 50% of your membership may be tax deductible.

How Bad Is It? Using Mite-Drop Counts to Measure & Control Varroa Infestation
2023-06-29 19:00 - 20:30
By Larry VandeVenter — Boston beekeeper; BABA and Classroom Hives board member.
Like pinballs, mites regularly fall off bees and end up on the hive’s bottom board. Counting the number of fallen mites that land on pull-out trays under screened bottom boards can accurately measure a hive’s mite infestation levels.
Larry has translated three years of mite-drop counts to give beekeepers a remarkably accurate picture of mite infestation levels inside their hives. He will describe the process, including taking counts and making calculations, and share data throughout his study.
The two more common, but sometimes less accurate, methods of monitoring mites (the ‘sugar roll’ and ‘alcohol wash’) will be described, and their efficacy will be discussed and compared to one another and Larry’s data. Treatment methods and schedules will be discussed briefly; a more thorough look at treatments will follow over the next two months. The talk will wrap up with a question-and-answer period.
To get the Zoom details for this event, please contact President@BostonBeekeepers.org

Frontiers in Small Hive Beetle Control
2023-12-07 19:00 - 20:30
Frontiers in Small Hive Beetle ControlDate: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, 7:00-8:30pm via Zoom
Location: Zoom
Register for Lecture
As far back as the 1960s, the American beekeeping industry had identified Aethina tumida as a potential threat to US beekeeping. Decades before their arrival in the United States, Caron (1978) stated that “One can only hope the beetle will not be transported [from Africa] to other beekeeping areas.”
Despite their long-identified threat to American beekeeping, very few controls have been labelled or licensed for in-hive use. Further, no acute control has been licensed for ‘safeguarding’ supplementary pollen or protein substitutes, substitutes that frequently invite severe Aethina tumida infestation. Faced with warming weather and changing climates, the impact and foot tarsi-print of small hive beetles is increasing every year.
This talk will explain how the biology and ecology of these beetles determines their presence and impact on beekeeping, and the research happening here in the US and elsewhere on their control.

Bees & Pesticides Workshop by Caro Munoz, Ph.D. candidate
2024-01-18 19:00 - 20:30
Caro Munoz will present the results of her 2021 research into the pesticides bees bring back to the hive and how the effects of these pesticides relate to their interaction with crops and wild plants. Overlooked in their significance, insect pollinators play a paramount role in maintaining ecosystem balance and are vital contributors to the health of our environment. In addition, ten brands of honey distributed by national retailers were tested against Massachusetts honey. Munoz’s research was conducted in 2021 in collaboration with MDAR.Bio: Caro Munoz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology program at UMASS Amherst. Her primary research and passion is around sustainable agriculture and bee pollinators. Her research focuses on understanding the interactive effects of climate change, landscape structure, and agricultural practices on both managed and wild bees.
A Zoom link to this event will be provided separately.

Vitellogenin - The Swiss knife of honey bees
2024-02-29 19:00 - 20:30
Over the last 20 years, my big passion in research has been Vitellogenin. Vitellogenin is a very old protein, more than 700 million years old. If we think of life on Earth in general, that time point is likely prior to the evolution of most, if not all, multicellular life forms. Since then, Vitellogenin has become essential for reproduction in almost all egg-laying animals and, in addition, central to survival, healthspan, and adaptive behavior in many species, including in honey bees. This evening, I will summarize my research on Vitellogenin to explain how it supports colony health and successful winter survival.
Gro Amdam is a Norwegian biologist who is internationally known for her research on honey bees’ behavior and longevity. This work has uncovered new functions of the ancient egg-yolk protein Vitellogenin. Amdam received her MSc (1999) and PhD (2003) degrees at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway. She currently holds a full professorship at Arizona State University, USA.
The day of the event, we will send out the Zoom link via email to everyone who has signed up.

Ask The Beekeeper
2024-04-18 19:00 - 20:30
A discussion and Q&A with Dave Lewcon of Dave Lewcon Apiaries, Uxbridge, MA
Now is the busiest time of year for bees and beekeepers alike. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the speed of a growing hive, changing brood patterns, and the myriad of never-seen-before surprises and behaviors that befuddle both novice AND experienced beekeepers.For 90 minutes, Dave will discuss these changes, share his experiences (and ‘stories’), and answer our questions. This is a great opportunity to bring your questions, from basic to impossibly hard, and share your observations. BABA will award a free hive tool to whoever brings the most awesome or challenging observation or question.
Dave has over 120 hives in Worcester & Norfolk Counties and in Rhode Island. He is a board member, Bee School Instructor, and the Worcester County Beekeepers Association Communications Director. In 2018 he was Worcester County’s “Beekeeper of the Year.” He was also involved in studies sponsored by Harvard and the USDA that analyzed the toxic response of neonicotinoids to honeybees

Hope in the Fight Against Varroa
2024-05-23 19:00 - 20:30
Did you miss this presentation? If you’re a BABA member, you can find it here.

A Presentation by Project Apis m. Executive Director Danielle Downey & Dr. Bob Danka, USDA-retired.

Varroa mites remain the primary threat to honey bees for most beekeepers. The ultimate solution to the Varroa destructor problem will be bees that can defend themselves. There is hope! Danielle & Bob will explain the history and status of Project Apis m. efforts to breed reliably mite-resistant bees. They will also share some lightning-round style snapshots of some of the Varroa projects Project Apis m. is supporting, such as novel Varroa controls in development, a new selection tool on the market, and important discoveries about Varroa resistance to Amitraz.

Danielle Downey began working with honey bees over 30 years ago, including training and research from bee labs in Minnesota, Canada and France, beekeeper education, work with commercial beekeepers and queen breeders, regulatory work as a State Apiarist in Utah and Hawaii, and wrangling bees for TV and film. As the Executive Director of Project Apis m., a nonprofit that funds applied honey bee research, she works closely with many industry stakeholders in the USA and Canada. She has worked on breeding Varroa resistant bees in Hawaii for over a decade.

Dr. Bob Danka was a USDA scientist for 36 years, who pursued the practical application of honey bee biology. His main areas of research included the pollination of crops (apples, blueberries, cotton and soybeans), biology and management of Africanized honey bees, and genetic resistance of honey bees to biological hazards. Now retired from USDA, he remains committed to the vision of breeding and delivering productive, Varroa-resistant bees to beekeepers.

BABA Presentation: Honey bees and native flower visitors in a Boston suburb
2024-06-27 19:00 - 20:30 | https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88440859107?pwd=[REDACTED]
Prof. Primack will describe the results of a survey of insect visitation to plants in Newton, a suburb in metropolitan Boston with extensive conservation areas and gardens. Honey bees, bumblebees, and solitary bees were found in a wide variety of cultivated, native, adventive, and pollinator garden plants. The most visited plants were generally visited by mixtures of honey bees and native pollinators, suggesting that honey bees and native bees can coexist. The talk will conclude with recommendations to reduce threats to native flower-visiting insects, such as herbicide and pesticide use, and to increase the resources available to flower visitors by planting pollinator gardens.
Richard Primack is a Professor of Biology at Boston University with interests in plant ecology, conservation biology, climate change biology, and tropical rain forests. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Biological Conservation and is the author of four widely used conservation biology textbooks for which 38 foreign language editions have been produced with local co-authors adding in examples from their own countries.
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88440859107?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meet the Beekeeper: Peter Byerly
2024-07-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, MA, 02126, United States
Join us at the Boston Nature Center (BNC) for a Meet the Beekeeper session each Saturday this summer.
Peter will be giving a presentation and a “hive dive” where you’ll have the opportunity to look at real beehives in their summer glory! You’ll be able to see how a beehive works, some beekeeping techniques, and, of course, honeycomb, raw honey, baby bees, and if you’re lucky, spot the elusive queen.
Whether you’re a novice, aspiring, or experienced beekeeper (a ‘beek’), BABA’s in-person Open Hives/Meet the Beekeeper workshops give everyone a chance to get close to bees and their hives, to learn and ask questions about honey bees, and to share stories and experiences.
Meet the Beekeeper sessions are held at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill St., Mattapan, MA 02126. Show up at the Center’s main building at 10am Saturday mornings through and including August 31, and spend the next two hours immersed in the bees’ magical world.
A Word of Caution
We will do our best to keep everyone safe, including providing everyone with beekeeping jackets & veils, and you should dress appropriately as well: long pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes are strongly encouraged. Please be aware that, however protected you are, bees sting and, while it’s rare, visitors may be stung.
If weather is questionable, call the Nature Center for updates at (617) 983-8500. And feel free to call Bill at (617) 388-7378 with any questions.

BABA: Meet the Beekeeper - Summer 2024
2024-07-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-07-20 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-07-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-08-31 10:00 - 12:00 | Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, MA, 02126, United States
Join us at the Boston Nature Center (BNC) for a Meet the Beekeeper session each Saturday this summer.
You’ll have the opportunity to look at real beehives in their summer glory! You’ll be able to see how a beehive works, some beekeeping techniques, and, of course, honeycomb, raw honey, baby bees, and if you’re lucky, spot the elusive queen.
Whether you’re a novice, aspiring, or experienced beekeeper (a ‘beek’), BABA’s in-person Open Hives/Meet the Beekeeper workshops give everyone a chance to get close to bees and their hives, to learn and ask questions about honey bees, and to share stories and experiences.
Meet the Beekeeper sessions are held at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill St., Mattapan, MA 02126. Show up at the Center’s main building at 10am Saturday mornings through and including August 31, and spend the next two hours immersed in the bees’ magical world.
A Word of Caution
We will do our best to keep everyone safe, including providing everyone with beekeeping jackets & veils, and you should dress appropriately as well: long pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes are strongly encouraged. Please be aware that, however protected you are, bees sting and, while it’s rare, visitors may be stung.
If weather is questionable, call the Nature Center for updates at (617) 983-8500. And feel free to call Bill at (617) 388-7378 with any questions.

BABA: Honey Show Judging; What's It All About
2024-08-01 19:00 - 20:30
Presented by Mary Duane, President of Massachusetts Beekeepers Association
The presentation will cover the basics of the judging process at a honey show. Mary’s presentation will address both what can be entered in a honey show and what a judge is looking for in a sample of liquid honey or an article of beeswax. Additionally, tips will be shared on how to prepare your entry for a honey show. Entering honey in a judging show is a terrific way to learn about the quality of your hive products, including the moisture content of your honey or the purity of your beeswax. BABA hopes that knowing something about the process may encourage you to consider entering your hive products in a honey show or agricultural fair judging event. Earning a first-place ribbon at a honey show can increase the value and sales of your honey!
Mary Duane is President of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association and past president of both the Worcester County Beekeepers Association (WCBA) and the Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS). She began her beekeeping career in 1999 after attending a WCBA bee school. She earned her EAS Master Beekeeper certification, and is now an instructor at WCBA — where it all started. She lectures throughout New England, and has been a Honey Show judge at Topsfield Fair and The Big E. She manages upwards of 10 hives in central Massachusetts.

BABA: Honeybee Behavior by Hilary Kearney
2024-08-22 19:00 - 20:30 | https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88040706255
Hilary Kearney will discuss the cooperative nature of the beehive and the roles of individual bees within it. Learn how and why the bees communicate with each other, how they organize an ever-changing workforce, and how they experience the world, learn, and remember. Plus, how can this information make you a better beekeeper?
Hilary Kearney founded Girl Next Door Honey in 2012 in her hometown of San Diego, California, after graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Fine Art. Breaking tradition, she developed a beekeeping business that relies on something other than honey sales or pollination services for economic success. Instead, Girl Next Door Honey focuses on bee-centric programs such as natural beekeeping classes, apiary management, classroom presentations, beehive tours, live bee removal, and more.
Zoom link to the presentation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88040706255?pwd=[REDACTED]

BABA: Bee Math and Queen Spotting by Micheal Bush
2024-09-26 19:00 - 20:30 | https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88040706255
“Did you ever wonder what all those numbers of days from egg to larvae to pupae and pupae to adult are good for? If you can use them to your advantage, it can greatly improve your knowledge of what is happening in your colony. Finding a queen is possibly the most useful skill a beekeeper can have.”
— Micheal Bush
Michael Bush is an internationally recognized author and speaker on beekeeping. He is the author of The Practical Beekeeper, Beekeeping Naturally, which has been published in five languages and is one of the authoritative sources on sustainable beekeeping without chemical treatments. His website is an invaluable source of information on natural, chemical-free beekeeping as well as beekeeping in general.
The wisdom of his methods is evidenced by the fact that he successfully keeps bees through the harsh winters of Nebraska.
This presentation is free to BABA members, and also open to non-members for a $10 fee. Get your tickets below. A Zoom link will be included in your ticket via email.

BABA: Honey Show Judging; What's It All About
2024-10-24 19:00 - 20:30 | https://bostonbeekeepers.org/single-event/baba-honey-show-judging-whats-it-all-about-oct-2024/
Presented by Mary Duane, President of Massachusetts Beekeepers Association
The presentation will cover the basics of the judging process at a honey show. Mary’s presentation will address both what can be entered in a honey show and what a judge is looking for in a sample of liquid honey or an article of beeswax. Additionally, tips will be shared on how to prepare your entry for a honey show. Entering honey in a judging show is a terrific way to learn about the quality of your hive products, including the moisture content of your honey or the purity of your beeswax. BABA hopes that knowing something about the process may encourage you to consider entering your hive products in a honey show or agricultural fair judging event. Earning a first-place ribbon at a honey show can increase the value and sales of your honey!
Mary Duane is President of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association and past president of both the Worcester County Beekeepers Association (WCBA) and the Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS). She began her beekeeping career in 1999 after attending a WCBA bee school. She earned her EAS Master Beekeeper certification, and is now an instructor at WCBA — where it all started. She lectures throughout New England, and has been a Honey Show judge at Topsfield Fair and The Big E. She manages upwards of 10 hives in central Massachusetts.
The Zoom link for this event is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81893996040?pwd=[REDACTED]
The event will start at 7pm on Oct 24th, 2024. If you start the Zoom early, you will be put into the waiting room, and be admitted after 7pm.

Non-BABA: Mass Bee Fall 2024 Meeting
2024-11-02 08:00 - 15:30 | Plymouth North HS, Plymouth, MA, Plymouth North High School, Plymouth, MA, United States
2024 Fall Meeting Flyer (1)
